International Students

International Students

Illiana is proud to have an active and growing International Student Program. During the 2022- 2023 school year, there were four international students at Illiana from several countries. We are grateful for the opportunity to welcome students from other cultures and countries in our community! If you are interested in studying at Illiana Christian High School as an international student and you would like to apply, please note that international students may be required to supply results of an English proficiency test that are no more than 6 months old. Illiana encourages students to use the online English Proficiency Test from Duolingo; information can be found here.

For more information, contact  Julie Tambrini in the office at 219.558.7066 ext. 150 or email at jtambrini@illianachristian.org

“I like Illiana because the education is better than other schools that I saw. And also the people are just so nice. I feel like this is the right place that I should be. My favorite thing about Illiana is there are so many clubs. I am so glad that Illiana can give me a chance to study right here. I don’t know why I just love this place. The teachers are nice and the students are really nice also. And this is a good place that I can study.” – Patrick Wang, ‘18

Host Families

Illiana is seeking families with an interest in hosting an international student for the upcoming academic years. Hosting is a rewarding opportunity to care for, educate and learn from a curious international student as he or she navigates a new spiritual, educational, and cultural environment. Host families receive a stipend and hosting requires a school year commitment.

Our administration certainly supports the international program. The Peter Boonstra family (Illiana’s Principal) has hosted various international students throughout the years and most recently, Abigail, who was a sophomore in 2018-19. Mary Boonstra shared her top five reasons why families should host:

1. The Bible commands us to show hospitality to strangers. See the following website for more info: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-hospitality.html
2. We have developed a relationship with the student (and their parents!) and have been able to share the gospel message with them (and their parents!)
3. Our family has learned about a different culture, a different religion, and a different political system. We have tried different foods, and have even learned a little bit of a different language – all from someone who has grown up in China; not from a book or from the internet. My children now have a much more global perspective on issues.
4. Because our international student asks questions about our religion and our country’s political system, we have had to verbalize our beliefs and understandings – Apologetics 101!
5. The host stipend pays the tuition for one of my own children to attend Illiana.

A few years ago, Rob and Kristi were the host family for our student Stephen for a year and a half. Rob and Kristi decided to host because they had always welcomed children into their home and they had heard success stories from other families.

“We think you should definitely give it a try. You have the opportunity to change a child’s life and show the love of Jesus to them,” said Kristi.

For a host family application and more information, please contact Jenna Dutton, Director of Admissions, at 219.558.7066 ext. 41 or email at jdutton@illianachristian.org