The Masse family has been involved with the foreign exchange student process for six years now. Currently, they are hosting a 16-year-old from Denmark by the name of Mathias Grevsen.

Through the foreign exchange student program, Grevsen is enrolled as a junior in Queen Creek High School.

“It’s just a great experience,” Jennifer Masse, host mom to Grevsen and mother of two, said. “You get to learn their culture and they get to learn how to live with an American family and go to an American high school.”

Jaeden Masse, 15, says he considers Grevsen his brother.

“It’s definitely a life-changing opportunity because I’ve always wanted a brother,” Jaeden, a sophomore at Queen Creek, said. “The foreign companies give me this opportunity to give me the brother that I’ve always wanted.”

Making friends in a new town can be hard enough, making friends in a new country requires getting involved.

“That’s one thing we tell them -- try to be involved as much as you can at school,” Jennifer said. “One, it keeps them active, and two, it gets them talking to people.”

Grevsen joined the football team and the robotics club at Queen Creek.

“At first when you get to a new country, a new place, it’s a bit hard to go out and talk, because I didn’t know anyone when I got here,” he explained. “But though football, I’ve gotten to meet new people. I talk with the guys. Suddenly we have something in common; something to talk about.”

Jaeden also plays football for Queen Creek.

“To (the team) he’s just another member of the family,” Jaeden said. “We’ve been playing with one another for two years now and he’s just another added member to our family, which just makes us bigger and stronger.”

Grevsen started the season on varsity, but moved down to JV to get more playing time. On JV, Grevsen had the opportunity to kick, among testing out other positions.

“When our kicker got hurt he started playing kicker,” Jaeden explained. “He went up to the coach was like ‘Hey can I try this?’ and he ended up being really good at it.”

Jaeden, also on JV, was the starting safety and, eventually, quarterback for most of the season. Grevsen and Jaeden both moved up to varsity for playoffs.

“From football here I have gained news friends,” Grevsen said. “If you make mistakes, (your teammates) bring you in and raise you up and if you do good they raise you even more up.”

Throughout the season, Grevsen noticed many differences between sports in Denmark and sports in America.

“Sports are not like you do here in America,” he said. “Schools and team spirit, that doesn’t exist. There’s nothing like that. It’s all clubs back home.”

Another difference was the importance of certain sports. Denmark’s main two sports are soccer (called fútbol there) and handball. They don’t have a version of American football.

“You see and hear about football (on TV). I always wanted to see why people like it so much and I wanted to try it,” Grevsen said. “I found out why: it’s a very fun game.”

He also noticed a difference between the way players and coaches interacted.

“The relationship players have with their coaches is very different. The coaches here act more like a father figure,” he said. “Back home, you still have a connection with your coach, but in America it’s more like a father figure, a friend.”

Even the player-to-player connection seemed more personal to Grevsen compared to back home.

“The way the team is, is much more focused about them being a family, which I like,” he said.

The way school is set up in America is also different compared to Denmark. In Denmark, Grevsen finished what could be seen as the equivalent to American high school early.

“I wanted to use this year because I wasn’t quite sure what I want to do with my life,” he said. “I wanted to get a bigger perspective on what I should do, so I thought I’d try (America) and see what I could do here.”

Grevsen says he would recommend the foreign exchange program to anyone who is looking for the learning experience of a lifetime.

“It’s a good way, some people would say, of growing up,” he said. “It’s a good use of a year, having fun but also learning things along the way.”

The Masse’s would also recommend the foreign exchange program to families. Through the experience, Jaeden gained the brother he’s always wanted brother.

“For the people that don’t do it, you should,” he said. “It’s a life-changing opportunity for people who want a brother or sister.”

As for Jennifer, she gained a son.

“The most rewarding part is the everlasting child,” she said. “He will forever be my son.”