Asanet Aloyan, 28, a senior tax inspector in Armenia, came halfway around the world to devise strategy with her counterparts in Hawaii to capture tax revenue from internet sales.

Phonnabphan Wongtrakoon, 33, sampled every job at the Outrigger Waikiki Resort Hotel, and is taking what she learned back to Thailand, where she helps families boost their incomes by hosting tourists in their homes.

Baitulhusna Ahmad Zamri of Malaysia, 28, interned at the Legislature and also traded tips with local startup companies about how to reach new customers, including ways she markets her brand of baby clothes.

All three were in Hawaii for a State Department Professional Fellows Program that gives young leaders in strategically important nations firsthand experience in the United States. They come from countries in Eurasia and Southeast Asia to spend a month interning at U.S. nonprofits, government agencies and businesses while living with local families.

The employers and families who hosted them said it turned out to be a two-way street, with each side enlightening the other on cultures, lifestyles, laws, regulations and business tactics.

State Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland mentored Ahmad Zamri during her internship at the Capitol and took her to visit local startup companies, including Cut Collective, a fashion incubator and design house, and Dev League, which holds computer-coding boot camps.

“Here I thought she would be learning from us,” Chun Oakland (D, Downtown-Nuuanu-Liliha) said. “Almost every place we went, she was able to share something. She shared with Cut Collective another way to actually sell their fashions online.”

Outrigger chose to have a professional fellow from Thailand because the hotel chain has resorts there as well.

“We thought it would be a good way to bring someone here to share our culture, and in return they share their culture with us,” said Robert McConnell, general manager of Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. “I have to tell you, it’s worked out really, really good. We’ve learned a lot from each other.”

Wongtrakoon said she appreciated the kindness of people in the hospitality industry and was impressed with the openness of Hawaii’s people.

“They accept the differences among each other, and they respect them,” she said. “This is the thing that I like, the open mind.”

However, she was taken aback by the number of people she found living unsheltered on the streets of Honolulu, in the midst of plenty. She took to sharing her food with them because she found meal portions so large in America.

“In some places there is too much, but in some places there’s not at all,” she said. “In Thailand we have homeless, but not so many. The cost of living is not so high.”

The fellows are selected through competitive nationwide searches involving a extensive written application and interviews. The program takes place in the fall and spring. Seven fellows just completed their visits to Hawaii on May 29 and headed to Washington, D.C.

“These are working internships where they learn by doing,” said Barbara Bancel, executive director of the International Hospitality Center and director of Professional Fellows in Hawaii.

Fellowship hosts in the United States may apply for reciprocal visits to the home country of their fellow to undertake collaborative projects. Those selected have their travel costs covered by the U.S. State Department.

Aloyan, the Armenian tax inspector, was hosted by retired state Supreme Court Justice Steven Levinson and his wife, Cathy. The visitor marveled at how they made her part of the family, hosting parties and taking her to the theater, as well as setting up meetings for her with the head of the state Tax Department and a deputy attorney general involved in internet commerce cases.

“It was really amazing,” she said. “I learned a lot from them.”

Cathy Levinson said she would miss Aloyan, a bright and vibrant woman who whipped up “the most phenomenal Armenian meal” for her Hawaii family.

Kevin Simon, a pension professional, and his wife, Lokelani, opened their home to Loan Nguyen, who specializes in microloans and ecotourism in her home country of Vietnam.

“I enjoy meeting people from all over the world,” said Simon, who has hosted international visitors for about 30 years. “I’m all about sharing the human experience.”

To learn more about hosting a fellow or an exchange student, email ihc@priory.net or call the International Hospitality Center at 521-3554.