LAKE COUNTY – Aqeela El-Amin of Clearlake has been appointed Lake County's community coordinator for the Program for Academic Exchange (PAX).

Headquartered in Port Chester, NY, PAX is a nonprofit educational organization which invites international high school students to the United States for an academic homestay.

El-Amin was selected to represent PAX due to a demonstrated enthusiasm, interest in foreign cultures and desire to become more active in the community.

She is currently interviewing Lake County families who are interested in sharing their lives with a young person from another country for the coming academic year.

“All PAX students have been carefully screened, speak English, have full medical insurance and come with their own spending money,” said El-Amin. “We work with students from 35 different countries, including those in Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.”

Host families are asked to provide the student with meals, a warm and supportive environment, and a place to sleep and study.

Local support is provided to the host family and student by El-Amin as community coordinator.

“We're looking for families who are interested in the world and in helping an exchange student learn more about America,” she said.

For more information, contact El-Amin at 995-2099 or PAX headquarters at 800-555-6211.

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