Photo above: Host dad Mike Holscher, center, stands with Vukan Janićijević, right, and Sharfuddin Shawon, left, his most recent students.

This article was originally published in The Colony Courier-Leader, a small newspaper covering community and local events in The Colony, Texas. On August 9, 2017, YES student Mohammed Sharfuddin Shawon (YES 2016-2017, Bangladesh, hosted by Ayusa in The Colony, TX), and his host father were featured in an article published by The Colony Courier-Leader. For the original Colony Courier-Leader article, please visit this link.

Mike Holscher has taught all 22 of his host students how to do their own laundry.

A single man working as an IT administrator, Holscher said a large part of the experience for his host students is learning independence.

“Some of them come from large families, so they have to be more independent,” he said. “They have to learn to do things more for themselves.”

Holscher has hosted 22 students from all over the world in 10 years. He works with Ayusa, a nonprofit cultural exchange organization to host students for an academic year.

He always takes them to Walmart and Kroger, where the number of choices for everything always amazes his sons. Holscher said he will have each student choose a box of cereal their first night in the United States. He said this was a huge lesson for his first host student.

“Through that experience he learned America has a lot of choices, a lot of options, a lot of variety,” he said. “ And he tried everything. He was in every club at school, he never passed up an opportunity to do something. Coming here opened up his mind.”

Sharfuddin Shawon, 17, recently left the United States after staying with Holscher for 10 months. Shawon is a student selected by the YES Program, an exchange program offering scholarships to Muslim students to spend up to one academic year in the U.S.

As editor of The Colony High School newspaper, school ambassador and active Student Council and international student club member, Shawon said “willingness” and support from counselors and Holscher helped him find most opportunities.

“When I got selected for YES Program I had a commitment that I will do every possible thing I can find while I am in the USA,” he stated in an email.

The YES Program, sponsored by the Department of State, selects students from about 40 predominantly Muslim countries through an exclusive application process for study abroad opportunities. Students submit essays, their grades and undergo two in-person interviews before being among the 3 or 4 percent of applicants selected to take part in the program.

The program was created in 2002 after the Sept. 11 attacks and boasts about 10,000 alumni.

Just over half of the students Holscher has hosted are Muslim students coming from countries including Yemen and Bangladesh. Other students have come from destinations like Germany and Russia.

“I was curious about it,” he said. “I thought it would be interesting to learn about that culture and not just that culture but the country’s culture.”

Shawon said he did not experience any difficulty in the U.S. because of his religion but received countless questions about his faith. He said he would have long discussions with friends at school about their respective religions.

These talks also happened at home. Holscher said he had one ground rule – agree to disagree. This opened up many discussions about any subject, he said.

“Once that ground rule is set and they understand that ground rule, we can talk about anything,” he said. “Religion, politics, things people often get upset about. I try to keep open communication, and I enforce it with that ground rule.”

Ayusa Executive Director Alison Gold said hosting a student gives families the chance to show them their personal America.

For Holscher, showing his sons America includes taking them to Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Downtown Dallas. He also takes them to the rodeo.

“Usually on Labor Day,” he said. “They get inducted into that Labor Day rodeo right away.”

Hosting also took some adjustments for Holscher, including almost giving up pork. Learning what to call each other took time, but Shawon said they became “pops” and “son,” Shawon said.

One of Holscher’s final lessons is not taught until the last day, when each student stands at the airport ready to go home.

“I tell the students, ‘It’s my privilege to say goodbye to you,’” he said. “‘Saying goodbye means I got to say hello in the first place.’”

Despite the many miles between them, Holscher keeps in contact with each son via Facebook. This can be rewarding but also difficult when the student’s country experiences hard times, such as war. Holscher said they will post personally captured videos of bombings from their home.

“It provides a human face for some of the news we hear about throughout the world,” said Kim VanKirk, YES Program grant manager.

Holchser said he realizes he will probably never see most of his sons in person again. However, Shawon said he taught that family is about caring for each other, not about spending all their time together.

“When I drink a cup of tea with five green chilies, I send him a picture,” he said. “When he clears off his table after a year, he sends me a picture. Mr. Holscher, who I didn’t know a year ago, is my pops now, and he always will be.”