Julie Wagoner, far right, and her husband Mark, far left, love their two exchange student sons, Giovanni from Italy and Nikolaus from Austria. The boys were part of Warsaw Community High School’s graduating class. The Wagoners have hosted six exchange students and someday would like to visit them in their home countries. Photo provided by Julie Wagoner.

By Laurie Lechlitner
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — “We’ve hosted six exchange students,” said Julie Wagoner, Winona Lake. “Our last student left this past June. They get some distorted views of what America is like from watching television and movies. I like that we not only get to share our values with these young people, but also our day-to-day lives.”

When the Wagoners were first approached about hosting an exchange student, they declined. “Our four kids really wanted to host a student. But at that time, we lived in an old farmhouse in North Manchester with only one bathroom. Since there were six of us in the house, I felt we really didn’t have the space for one more.”

However, as her children moved out on their own, she reconsidered. “One of my co-workers asked me to host an exchange student. We were still living in the farmhouse, but now had only one child left at home. We said ‘yes.’”

The Wagoners’ first exchange student was a boy from Seoul, South Korea. “Since he was from a big city, he had trouble adjusting to farm life in the wide open spaces. He was unhappy and it was a challenge for our family.”

The second exchange student was a much better fit. “Simone was a half-year exchange student from Italy. He and my son got along just great. He’ll always be part of our family. He came back this past April for our daughter’s wedding.”

Next the Wagoners hosted two girls, one from Austria and one from Italy. “Hosting girls is a whole different thing. Our boys ate everything in sight. But the girls watched their figures. When my husband Mark picked up the girls from school one day, the Austrian student told him she needed to stop at the store for a makeup emergency purchase. Our girls loved to go shopping.”

Unfortunately, the two girls had to go home in March. “That was when the pandemic hit internationally.”

The Wagoners moved to Winona Lake in July 2021. “We hosted two more exchange students in our new home. This time two boys. One was from Italy and the other from Austria. Our last student left this past June.”

One of the things the Wagoners enjoyed doing with the kids was going on vacation. “We loved taking our exchange students to Disney World for the first time. None had been there and it was truly a memorable experience for them and for us.”

It was actually a cultural exchange. “We got a little insight into their world back home and they lived in our world. Mark and I hope to visit our students at their homes in the future.”

One of the privileges the family had was taking the students to church. “That’s a very important part of our lives. We got to share our love of the Lord and our value system with them.”

Wagoner is a nurse, working for the health department. “I’ve worked in nursing home settings for many years. Now I’m an inspector of nursing homes in the area.”

She enjoys interacting with the elderly. “I love hearing their stories. I also enjoy the fact that I am helping them have a good quality life.”

She and her husband Mark have been married 31 years. They have four grown children and one granddaughter. Her hobbies include cooking and reading.