When a student comes from an international foreign country to attend El Camino College, they are placed by a service program to aid them.

Michelle Willemse-Grogan is the president and owner of Global Student Services, a host program for international students, tourists and business travelers looking for housing.

According to their official website, GSS has been working to find homes for international students since 1994.

“We have just been working with the international students, placing them in our host program for many years, with mostly great success,” Willemse-Grogan said via email.

Along with El Camino College, Global Student Services works to support international students at over 70 institutions throughout Southern California, including 10 in the South Bay, according to the GSS official website. The program assists both college and high school students.

The GSS website also details how hosts are chosen through an application process and are responsible for making “the student(s) feel comfortable, like they are part of the family, by opening your heart and your home.”

There are many ways that international students learn about the services GSS offers.

“Students find us through the internet, their agent or referral by the international student programs,” Willemse-Grogan said via email.

Due to the fluctuating nature of the program, Willemse-Grogan was unable to provide an accurate estimate of the number of students currently enrolled.

There is “no deal with El Camino College,” Willemse-Grogan said about El Camino’s involvement with the program.