Camarillo : Families Play Host to Exchange Students

Francesca Pasqualini knew little English when she arrived in Ventura County 10 months ago as an exchange student from Italy. Now she gives speeches in English about her experiences.

Francesca, 17, attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard as part of an American Field Service program. She maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while participating in varsity tennis, jet skiing and snow boarding.

She has stayed for 10 months in Camarillo with Diane and Doug Off and their children Cathy, 17, and Ryan, 13.

The family traveled to San Diego, Mexico, Big Bear and San Francisco, Diane Off said. Francesca also visited some of the universities to which she has applied, including Pepperdine, USC, Stanford and Cal Poly Pomona.

She went hiking last winter with Doug Off from the family’s cabin in Mammoth Lakes. But it turned out to be more than just a walk in the woods when the two climbed a mountain to the 10,000-foot level.

“There were all these trees scratching your arms. Oh my gosh, it was so hard . . . you had to be careful not to fall,” Francesca said.

This was the first visit to the United States for Francesca, who recently received the Katherine Gray Scholarship award for an outstanding AFS student. The award is given to a student in either Ventura, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo counties, said Marcella Twiford, Ventura County AFS area representative.

The award is named after the wife of one of the original field service members, a group of volunteer ambulance drivers who served in the world wars, Twiford said. Because the drivers could not serve in combat, they formed the volunteer group to assist in the war efforts in France. They lived with French families while performing their duties, and that inspired the formation of AFS, she said.

“Francesca has been very sincere in everything she does,” Twiford said. “She fully believes in AFS, and she talks to other students about her experiences.”

“It is very important to be honest and sincere . . . and to have an open mind to learn about others,” Francesca said.

Besides Francesca, foreign students in the Ventura County program include Monika Zacmane of the Soviet Union, David Lofgren of Sweden and Jan Siesmund of Germany. They all lived with families in Camarillo, said Nancy Feder, whose husband Alan is president of the Pleasant Valley AFS chapter.

The students will leave for home Saturday. Francesca will return to Montalto di Castro, a small town just outside Rome.

Host families in Ventura County are needed for students who will arrive in August, Feder said. Interested families may call 987-1455 for further information.