Yoshi Shiota, 9th grade: “In my first month at Fay, it was so hard to speak English. Not the English you learn in school - English the way it's spoken in America. Sometimes people would say to me, ‘What's up?' and I would think ‘What is up?' Once, I actually looked up.”

Kiyomi Shiota, 8th grade: “I only knew ‘My name is Kiyomi' and ‘Where is the bathroom?' I had a lot of work to do.”

Jungmi Lee, Brooklyn, NY: “My son Yoshi went to one of the best schools in Japan. And Kiyomi was an excellent student. But they struggled when they first got to Fay. Yoshihisa - my husband - would say, ‘They will improve. They just need time.' Still, I would cry when I heard about Kiyomi in math class - how she couldn't understand the word problems. On her first test, she got 50%. But on the outside, she was smiling.”

Barbara Ramsdell, International Student Program (ISP): “Yoshi and Kiyomi were homesick at first. They missed Japan, their parents. And they struggled with the language, yes. But these kids are grounded. The values that Jungmi and Yoshihisa gave them will help them in any country. And their smiles - somehow you believed everything would turn out all right. And it has.”

Jungmi: “I came to New York two years ago to study architecture. Yoshihisa is in Japan, managing our hotel business. If we wanted to make this arrangement work, we had to find a school we could trust. Sending your children away to school - that's not an easy decision. Fay is rare. Everyone is so warm and caring. And when I met Mrs. Ramsdell and heard about the ISP, I felt like we were doing the right thing.”

Yoshi: “My mother and Mrs. Ramsdell - they understand each other. Mrs. Ramsdell knows what it's like to raise kids.”

Kiyomi: “Mrs. Ramsdell is my advisor. And she was my English teacher in the International Student Program. She's so kind. She helped us in class, but also after school. And she'd always ask about other things - just our life. How are we doing? Do we miss home? Do we like the food?”

Barbara: “We've had a program for international students for a long time, so we know the challenges students face. And everyone here wants to help; coaches, teachers - they're generous with their time. It's a team effort.”

Jungmi: “When I first met Mrs. Ramsdell, her smile was so warm. Now that I'm in New York, she writes to me two or three times a month to tell me about the time she spends with Yoshi and Kiyomi. Her e-mails are like poetry. I can see the school, the leaves changing colors.”

“We know the challenges that international students face. And everyone here wants to help. Coaches, teachers - it's a team effort.”

Barbara: “With Kiyomi - with all my advisees - I try to build a sense of trust. Because that's really what the advisee system is about. Students have an identity with one particular adult. They know they can count on you.”

Kiyomi: “Next year I'll be in the mainstream classes. Yoshi is going to Choate. The classes will be hard, and I'll miss my brother. But it's good to be independent.”

Jungmi: “I'm a student now, and every time I study I think of my children. They were less experienced in English than me when they came to America. Now they know more. After two months at Fay, I'd get notes from Mrs. Ramsdell saying how much Kiyomi was improving. Then she got 90% on a math test. I realized how strong she is.”

Kiyomi: “When we visit our mother, she says ‘You're different. Look at you - you're doing laundry? You're cleaning the apartment? What happened to you?'”

Jungmi: “It's true! They've changed so much. They take responsibility for themselves. They're mature. They think about others. They're not children anymore.”

Kiyomi: “In my old school, the teacher told you what sport to play. At Fay, you choose what you want to do. Now I love sports - basketball, field hockey.”

Jungmi: “It's because every teacher supports her. Kiyomi can try everything. She can find her own strengths.”

Yoshi: “In Japan, school was strict; there were too many rules and not that much freedom. My sister is very artistic, and if she was still at a school like that she'd lose her uniqueness. The lifestyle here works for me. You've got more chances to learn new things - not just studying, but how to make friends.”

Barbara: “So much of their learning happens outside the classroom. The interaction in the dorm, shooting baskets in the gym, sitting at a table in the dining room, art projects, music groups - those are a big part of the experience here.”

Jungmi: “The important thing is their future. What do they want for themselves? What are their dreams? My husband and I - we don't touch their dreams. We just support them. That's what they get from Fay. Fay tells them: ‘You can try. We'll help you. If you fall, we'll pick you up.' That's trust. One hundred percent.”