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Discover Fauquier
August 2026
16
family member with love and guidance.
Host families can be single adults or
couples with or without children.
Hosting options are flexible to fit a variety
of schedules:
Welcome Period: Host for about eight
weeks while a permanent family is found.
Academic Semester: August to
December, or January to May.
Full School Year: The traditional
academic year experience.
Back-up Hosting: Short-term care for
brief intervals.
Exchange students bring their own spending
money, insurance, and technology, arriving
7 to 10 days before school starts (Fauquier
County Public School students return on
August 12) and depart within 14 days of the
school year ending.
Several teenagers are currently waiting
for placement in Fauquier County,
including Aurelia,
16, a German girl who
loves horses, pets, drawing, and dance;
An, 16, a Vietnamese boy who plays
piano and enjoys swimming; and Martin,
a 15-year old Mexican, who loves animals
and aspires to be a veterinarian. A back-
up family is also needed for Mihran, a
16-year-old Armenian boy.
"Every family should seize the opportunity
to host in their lifetime," Rene says. Carin
agrees. "Exchange students help you see
your community and life from new eyes
and bring appreciation of little things that
we sometimes forget about," she says,
adding that for those who may worry
about the challenges of bringing a
teenager into your home, rest assured
that local support is unmatched with
Rene and Carin at the helm.
Ready to expand your family's worldview?
Learn more about welcoming a student
into your ho me by c o nt ac t ing
Rene at
reneb@pax.org. or Carin at
carinc@pax.org.
Program of Academic Exchange (PAX): Opening
Doors, Embracing Cultures, Becoming Family
Rene Brown and Carin Coker
By Nancy Griffin-Bonnaire
For Rene Brown and her daughter, Carin
Coker, cultural exchange isn't just a
career--it's a lifelong family passion. As
Program of Academic Exchange
(PAX) professionals, they aim to promote
international peace and understanding
through cross-cultural experiential
learning and academic exchange.
Rene, now a national development
director, helps schools and local
coordinators understand the profound
benefits of hosting. Carin, a regional
development manager for PAX, literally
grew up in an exchange household,
giving her unparalleled, first-hand
expertise in supporting host families.
It started in 1986 when Rene saw a blurb
in a Warrenton United Methodist Church
bulletin saying that 40 French students
were arriving, but only two families had
signed up. Rene and her husband
stepped in to host a quiet girl named
Sandrine. Though Rene worried Sandrine
hadn't enjoyed herself, the teen left a
heartfelt note calling it the "best time
ever"--and returned the next summer
with her brother!
That single summer sparked a 40-year
journey. By 1987, Rene brought Fauquier
High School her first year-long exchange
student, Raphael from Brazil. Over the
decades, Rene has personally hosted 39
students, keeping in touch with almost all
of them, and placed close to 2,000
exchange students across our area.
This passion for the world stems from
Rene's childhood as a Navy brat. Her
mother participated in programs like
People to People, teaching her to value
diverse ideas. "Instead of having only
family ideas of what life is," Rene says,
"she wanted us to have world values and
a wider view of the world."
Rene and Carin share that PAX is a tight-
knit organization that prioritizes safety
and thorough communication. Their strict
compliance policies ensure excellent
experiences for everyone involved.
To become a host family, you must be at
least 25 years old; pass a criminal
background check; not be in need of
federal funding; be able to provide a bed
in a bedroom with a window and three
meals a day; and arrange for the
student's transportation to and from
school. And of course, most importantly,
host families must provide their newest
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