Luther College is seeking "Friendship Families"

A welcome cookout was held at Baker Commons for new international students on August 24th of 2014. (Photo by Breanne Pierce of Luther College)

The International Student Friendship Family Program is seeking individuals and families in the Decorah community to help Luther College's incoming international students adjust to life at Luther College and in the United States.

The goal of the program is to promote international understanding and develop an appreciation of how others live and view the world. Students and their friendship families gather in informal settings and learn about life in the U.S. and Iowa and about the home culture of the student. The program is over 30 years old.  The number of international students studying at Luther has nearly tripled in that time.

 "We have loved being a host family," said Luther associate professor of Spanish and Friendship Family participant Rita Tejada.  "We gain a wonderful addition to our family through this program. The bond between our students becomes so close my daughters look to them as older sisters. The young women we have welcomed into our home have been a complete pleasure. They shared their culture with us as we showed them ours. They gave memories that will last a lifetime. After they graduated, they knew they had a second home here in Decorah. We will always be grateful for the experiences we have had as a friendship family"

Interested individuals and families can sign up at http://www.luther.edu/diversity/friendship-family/.