Jennifer Shepherd took in a 16-year-old foreign exchange student at her Faribault home. Two years later she’s coming back from the Czech Republic, after being hosted by the student’s family.
The organization that made the foreign exchange student’s year in Faribault possible is now looking for more host families to take in students for this school year. Local coordinator for Greenheart Christine Burbach said they need host families fast.
Hannah, Jennifer, Justin, and Landon Shepherd pose with Hana Trnková, left to right. The farewell didn’t end up lasting long with the host family visiting Hana in the Czech Republic this year.
“These kids are sitting on packed suitcases thinking they’re coming,” Burbach said. “But it is not guaranteed if we don’t find families.”
The organization has helped more than 185,000 cultural opportunities take place, according to its website. While it started facilitating students from Spain to the United States, it now covers students from more than 100 countries.
Interested families can apply to be a host family on the Greenheart Exchange website or contact Burbach at 651-239-2651 for more information. The organization still has boys and girls from Bolivia, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and China available for host families. More information on the students is available on the Greenheart website.
Shepherd said her family decided to take then-16-year-old from the Czech Republic, Hana Trnková, in because they thought it’d be fun to have another teenager in the house. By the end, Shepherd said Trnková became a part of the family.
“She wanted us to do everything. So we showed her like all the parks we go to, the zoo,” Shepherd said. “Anything she wanted to do, we did.”
Jennifer Shepherd, Justin Shepherd, Hana Trnková, and Hannah Shepherd bike down one of Faribault’s parks. Jennifer said Hana wanted hit as many of the spots in town as she could.
Shepherd said Trnková became fast friends with her kids too. She joined the Faribault High School tennis team with her daughter and was part of the archery team as well. Burbach said she believes smaller towns like Faribault are perfect spots for foreign exchange students.
“I’ve realized the kids that go to small towns have a better experience because they’re not just a number,” Burbach said. “A kid who goes to Faribault will have the kids still reach out, they are interested in where you’re coming from. They include them.”
That comes from experience too, Burbach is originally from Germany and got to visit the United States as a foreign exchange student to Alpena, Arkansas. Burbach said that in the past, she had worked with the principal of Faribault High School to show the kids around and introduce them to their new school and its activities.
Shepherd said Trnková loved Faribault, and getting to try out all of the American traditions she never got to experience back home. She thought the snow was amazing, even if the Minnesota winters kept her freezing.
She wanted to try absolutely everything,” Shepherd said, “She even tried American sushi, which are the pickle ham rolls. She thought they were disgusting but she had to try them anyway.”
Shepherd stayed in touch with her host daughter, getting packages with Czechian foods and treats from her family and now just coming back from visiting them in Europe.
“Her family wanted to do for us what we did for her when she was here. So they took really good care of us,” she said. “They planned all sorts of touristy things and showed us around and cooked us their favorite family meals.”
Interested families will go through a vetting process, then be matched with a student that fits their profile. All of the students coming over are proficient in English, Burbach said. The coordinator added that coming over is a dream come true for many of these students.
“One mom wrote me back saying her daughter kept crying and crying because she got a letter saying she was going to be able to come now. She had lost hope,” Burbach said. “It shows how excited they get and what it means to them.”
Marco Rivero Luna is a reporter for the Faribault Daily News. Reach him at 815-981-5389. © Copyright 2026 Adams MultiMedia of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved.
