Colorado Springs host family creates experiences at home for exchange student leaving early due to COVID-19

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- An international exchange student in Colorado Springs is returning home early due to the coronavirus. But before she does, her host family is checking off several quintessential American high school experiences.

Sasha Dulap, who is from Moldova, says many of her plans and family trips were cancelled because of the pandemic.

"It's sad," she said. "I had so many plans for these last two months to have fun and to attend a lot of activities. To go with my host family somewhere. We were supposed to go to Wisconsin." 

But in an effort to keep giving Dulap new experiences, the host mother Glenda Savoy says she and her family have crammed plans into the last couple of weeks while staying home.

"We began taking a look at some of the things that we were not able to do with her and said, 'You know, we can still do this,'" Savoy said. "We're going to have to do it at the house."

Despite the stay-at-home order, Dulap says her host family arranged an early easter egg hunt and even a senior graduation ceremony.

"It was fun because I had to listen to all the speeches and they gave me the diploma," said Dulap with a chuckle. "My sister made a graduation cake."

On Saturday evening, the host siblings and Dulap were dressed in bright dresses and suits. They posed outside their home as Savoy took pictures to recreate the cancelled prom night.

Dulap smiled as she held Eli, the family dog and her prom date.

Savoy says she's had several foreign exchange students before, but the changes due to COVID-19 were unexpected.

Still, she says she wanted to keep giving Dulap the "American and Colorado experience" because it brings her joy.

“They can take that back and be able to experience that probably for the rest of their life," Savoy said.