- Habib Debaya, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study student From Tunisia; Hosted in Nebraska As he waited for his meeting with a staffer from Senator Deb Fischer's office, Habib explained that he was proud to be hosted in Nebraska. He has taken five AP courses at his high school, including macroeconomics and government, and he has learned how to play American football. When the staffer asked him to describe his program, he was ready. “Everyone gets a different experience, but it’s all… Read More
- The Future Leaders Exchange program celebrated its 25th cohort of students yesterday, at a ceremony in the Kennedy Caucus Room on Capitol Hill. The reception honored the latest 200 students to complete the program.Several guest speakers, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, congratulated the students on their accomplishment, while challenging them to make their voices heard. Mr. Murphy, who studied abroad in college, shared that he started questioning the leaders in his community as a… Read More
- Editor's note: From our most junior level staffers to our president, our global staff has a lot of knowledge about exchange to share. This month, we asked them to share some of their best advice, based on their studies, work experience, and their time working at American Councils. For this piece, we asked: What is your best advice for someone going on an exchange program? 1. Be prepared to present [your] country's culture, do not hesitate to make new friends, have a good… Read More
- Meder’s journey from Kyrgyzstan to America actually started in Ghana.Last fall, Meder Mukai Uulu was thrilled to learn he earned a scholarship for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program. The competitive, merit-based program, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State, has an acceptance rate of less than three percent. FLEX students live with a host family and attend an American high school, and Meder couldn’t wait. Meanwhile in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Spalding… Read More
- Editor's note: This letter to the editor was originally published in the Washington Post on May 10. I was disappointed to see in the April 29 front-page obituary for former senator Richard G. Lugar, “Senator was key in U.S. foreign policy,” no mention of his role as co-founder of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program, which brings nearly 1,000 high school students to the United States every year. The Indiana Republican spoke annually to these students about how… Read More
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