By KELCY DOLAN

In 22 years Dale Ann Nicholson has hosted more than 35 students from all over the world, and all but two never wanted to leave.

“When you volunteer to be a host family, you are gaining a new son or daughter for life,” she said.

She said some people only talk about the few “horror stories” surrounding exchange students and that has given the amazing experience a bad name.

As the regional manager for the Warwick-based NorthWest Student Exchange (NWSE), Nicholson plays a key role in matching students with the right families. She ensures that more often than not it ends up being a positive experience for both student and host family.

The program has foreign students stay with local families while attending high school in America from one quarter to a full year. Annually, NWSE helps coordinate 325 exchange students in the region.

For those who are unsure of whether or not they can handle a student for a whole semester or even an entire year, NWSE encourages them to be “host families,” housing a student for a short time to get them acclimated to the country while a permanent family is lined up.

These welcome families can choose to keep the student for the full program, something Nicholson said happens more than 95 percent of the time.

“Our goal is to match caring families that will treat our students as if they were their own children,” Nicholson said. “These kids just want to live the American dream and play soccer or play in a band.”

Kai Martin, 18, was never able to be an exchange student, but his older brother Eric, 21, did. Currently, Martin is spending a summer visit here in Rhode Island with Robert Monahan, who was his older brother’s host father in 2010.

Martin, from Freiburg, Germany, first came to America four years ago to visit his older brother during his stay and witnessed the positive change in his brother.

“Eric learned to live on his own,” Martin said of his older brother. “When he came back home he was much more independent.”

Nicholson said that as part of the program students are expected to live as American children would and are responsible for and expected to do chores around the house and really become part of the family.

Depending on the country, or just the family, the students are visiting from, they may never have had to do anything on their own.

Nicholson said through the program host families help their visiting students to grow, gain independence and learn more about themselves.

“Their natural parents are so grateful,” Nicholson said. “One mother wrote me a letter after her daughter returned that said, ‘I sent you a girl and you sent me back a woman.’ It’s stuff like that that makes it worth it.”

Although Martin couldn’t be involved in the exchange program directly because of his schooling, as the brother of an exchange student he was just as welcome into the host family.

Since his first visit, Martin has visited Rhode Island six times, often staying for a month or so at a time. He said he was shy on his first visit, but being with his brother’s host family and American friends, meeting other exchange students, helped him break out of his shell.

“I feel an attachment to this place and the family,” Martin said. “I love coming to visit.”

Robert Monahan, who was the host father for Martin’s older brother, said four years ago it was only natural to let Martin visit.

Monahan has hosted six students altogether, all of whom have made return visits to Rhode Island.

“They really become part of your family. I consider Eric a son and Kai is his little brother, so he’s my son, too,” Monahan said.

When Martin asked to come visit, even without his older brother, Martin “didn’t hesitate” to say yes. Monahan keeps in contact with not only the boys he’s hosted, but their families as well.

“They still keep me involved and up to date on everything going on in their lives,” Monahan said. “They still look to me for advice on decisions. They really are my sons.”

Martin often gets to tag along on trips to baseball and football games and on one trip even went to Disney World in Orlando.

He said his brother, as well as himself, loved Rhode Island because of its proximity to the ocean. It was easy travel to Boston or New York, but you still could get the small town American feel.

Monahan said that a lot of the students have these preconceptions of America from television and news media but quickly come to find Americans are much friendlier than they are portrayed.

“We aren’t as bad as we are made out to be, said Monahan.

“It’s all impressive and I get to see things I wouldn’t be able to in Germany,” he said.

The students aren’t the only ones who learn something after the experience. Nicholson always suggests families questioning which country their student should come from, should choose a nation they themselves would like to visit. Host families, in turn for teaching students about American culture, also learn about a student’s home culture. Often such strong bonds are made during an exchange student’s stay that host families will visit their country.

“Then you’re not going over to a country as a tourist, you’re going over as family,” Nicholson said. “Students natural parents are so thankful for everything you’ve done for their child, they can’t do enough for you when you visit. You become extended family.”

“You end up with these international families,” Monahan said. “You’re not paid for this, you just have to want to help a good kid.”

Nicholson said the exchange student community is just “one big family” because the students become friends with each other as well and will often visit, students make return visits with host parents and, host families often visit student’s natural families.

Especially with new technology, Nicholson said it is easier than ever to keep in touch with everyone no matter where they are on the globe.

Nicholson said, “It’s all about helping kids have the experience of a lifetime.”

For more information on NWSE or how to become a host family visit www.nwse.com.