Host a Language Ambassador

Language Ambassadors Enrich the Learning Experience

Language ambassadors are a vital part of our language immersion program at LILA. They are interns from Spanish- and Chinese-speaking countries who assist our teachers in the classroom, and provide language and culture models for our students. They are considered teaching assistants, and they help maintain a low student to teacher ratio at LILA. They work with individual students, small groups, or supervise activities of the large group, allowing the teacher to give more attention to students who need more help or more challenge. Ambassadors are are typically assigned to Lower School classrooms, but they may assist on occasion at Upper School.

Language ambassadors bring their own languages and cultures to life by engaging and motivating students, leaving them with new confidence in their ability to communicate across borders. Having ambassadors in the classrooms also gives students the opportunity to hear authentic target-language conversation between the ambassador and the teacher, rather than only between learners or between the teacher and students. It's a proven program for enhancing the educational experiences of LILA students and staff, the host families, and the language ambassadors.

Hosting a Language Ambassador

Host families come in all shapes and sizes. They serve as a language ambassador’s substitute family for half the school year. They provide room and board - a private bedroom, shared bathroom, and meals - and are encouraged to involve ambassadors in social, cultural or family events. Host families are not required to cover any other expenses - ambassadors bring their own spending money. They provide care, moral support, and basic needs to a language ambassador as if they were a member of the family. Host families also provide transportation to and from LILA each day. Transportation assistance can sometimes be arranged if this is a barrier to hosting. Host families receive a $1,000 stipend at the end of their hosting period. We recognize that this stipend will not cover all costs incurred by families in the course of hosting for five months, but we hope that it defrays the cost enough so that more families can participate in hosting. 
 

Interested in becoming a host family? Fill out the Host Family Application today! 

**We are currently in need of host families for the Spring of 2026! **

Irene

Hello! My name is Irene. I am 22 years old, and I come from Valladolid, a beautiful city in the northwest of Spain, full of history, great food, and lovely landscapes. I recently graduated as a Primary Education teacher, specializing in Physical Education, from the University of Valladolid. I consider myself an outgoing and friendly person who loves to travel and discover new places, people, and cultures. I also enjoy reading, dancing, watching movies and series, cooking, and spending time with my family and friends, surrounded by good people and positive vibes. I am really excited to explore everything Minnesota has to offer, living in such a different place than what I’m used to and learning many new things. I hope to make many new friends and build strong connections, sharing my culture and traditions while growing both as a teacher and as a person.

Rubén

Hello! My name is Rubén, and I'm from a small town called Tarazona, near Zaragoza (Spain). Currently, I have just finished my studies as a teacher of Primary Education at the University of Valladolid (Soria Campus). As for my hobbies and personality, I consider myself a very nice, friendly and helpful person, who is always willing to help and to make people around me happy. Also, I am a person who loves to watch movies and series, listen to music, hang out with my friends, spend time with my family and I love to practice sports; in my life, I have practiced soccer, basketball, handball and currently I go to the gym. As for my goals, I would love to enjoy this new experience in Forest Lake and in Minnesota, to know its customs, its nature, its most special places, to do fun things, to learn a lot from all of you, and above all, to be able to work, teach and show the most important values and cultural aspects of my country at LILA

Lisbeth

Hello my name is Lisbeth and I’m 26 years old. I am from Ecuador, although I grew up in Los Molinos (Madrid) since I was 3 years old. Los Molinos is a very small town close to the mountains and reservoirs. I consider myself a very adventurous, sociable, and athletic person. My favorite activities are boxing and hiking. I love traveling and discovering new places, tasting the cuisine of different regions, going on getaways, visiting museums, aquariums, and monuments representing different places. I enjoy spending quality time with my family. I also love dogs. (I have a 1-year-old dog named Canela, and I love spending time with her and taking her on trips to the beach, towns, or cities—She’s part of my family!) I’m very grateful to be able to live this experience and meet new people and see new places.

Wu Binqian (Brianna)

Hello！My name is Wu Bingqian, and I am 23 years old. Currently, I am a first-year postgraduate student majoring in International Chinese Language Education at Capital Normal University in Beijing. My hometown, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, is an ancient capital of eight dynasties with a long history, rich cuisine and profound cultural heritage. I consider myself a positive, optimistic, conscientious, easy-going, interesting, meticulous and patient person. I am familiar with traditional Chinese cultures such as Tai Chi, Tai Chi fans, calligraphy and paper-cutting. In addition to enjoying calligraphy, photography, watching TV series, cooking and trying new things, I am also passionate about exploring the lifestyles of different cultures. Therefore, I am very much looking forward to living in Minnesota. I hope to have the opportunity to enjoy the local natural scenery and urban culture, participate in homestay experience activities, taste local specialties, feel the collision of diverse cultures, and achieve cultural exchange and mutual learning. I hope this experience can become the most precious memory in my life!