Get Involved!

Are you ready for an adventure that will take you around the world without leaving campus? Look no further than the exciting opportunities offered by the Montana State University Office of International Programs!

Whether you're

  • A student looking to gain valuable professional experience 
  • A community member seeking to expand your horizons

we've got something for everyone.

From hosting international visitors to participating in intercultural events and presentations, the possibilities for connection and growth are endless.

Imagine the thrill of welcoming visitors from across the globe into your home and sharing your own unique culture with them. Or, picture yourself gaining real-world employment experience while immersing yourself in a diverse and dynamic community. With our programs, anything is possible!

Homestay Opportunities

Okinawa Global Leadership Program

Every summer, high school students from Okinawa, Japan, travel to Bozeman for a three-week program. We are currently in search of host families open to inviting one or two students into their homes for the duration of their visit. During this time, students will engage in English and Leadership courses while immersing themselves in American culture.

Homestay opportunities are a primary avenue for enabling students to truly immerse themselves in the local culture.

This year the Okinawa Global Leadership Program will take place from July 29 to August 15, 2024.

Kumamoto University

Undergraduate students from Kumamoto usually visit Bozeman in September. Kumamoto is considered Bozeman's sister city, and Montana State University has had a partnership with Kumamoto University for 35 years. Students will be taking intensive English classes as well learning more about American culture and society. They also teach the Bozeman community about their own culture. To make this program a success, we are once again seeking families willing to host students in their homes for the duration of their visits.

Kumamoto students will be in Bozeman early September (for three weeks)

Friendship Families

Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program

Student Leaders live on campus in the dorms during the course of the three week program; however, we invite community members of Bozeman to serve as what we call "friendship families."

Friendship families are people who offer support and encouragement to program participants and are available weekly to have student leaders over for dinner, take them on an excursion, or simply show them their favorite places in Bozeman.

The friendship family component of our programs has proven to be conducive to the fostering of strong cross-cultural connections, mutual understanding, and student success. 

The MEPI program will take place from June 20 to July 24, 2024.

Fulbright Teaching Excellence & Achievement Program (TEA)

Participants of Fulbright TEA are accomplished teachers from all over the world. They live in a hotel in Bozeman for the duration of the program.

We are also looking for 'friendship families' for the TEA program participants to welcome them into the Bozeman community and make them feel at home. The success of past TEA programs serve as testimonials to the importance of partnering participants with members of the community. 

One former TEA participant from Tanzania, Mahamba Sebastian, shared his thoughts on his experience with his host family in Bozeman: "I have been impressed with my host family I was partnered with; I was not only treated as a family member but also as a true blood-related son. They humbly treated my homesickness to great passion."

The TEA program will take place from September 11 to October 28, 2024.

 

For more information, please contact Makiko Diehl: makiko.diehl@montana.edu