- I love being an exchange student because of the way confusion turns into amazement. Earlier this year, while doing homework in my room, my host mom walked in and asked if I wanted to come to a jazz concert. Of course I said yes. The number one rule of being an exchange student is to always say yes when someone invites you somewhere. My host mom then added, "You should change, it's at the President's residence!" President, I assumed at the moment, meant the president of the jazz association, who… Read More
- Since returning to Kenya, YES program alumnus Mwalimu William Karisa ('12) has become an adovocate for positive change on several development service projects in his home community.While on the YES program, Mwalimu lived with a host family and attended high school in Blue Grass, Iowa, where he learned about American society and values, developed leadership skills, and helped educate Americans about his country and culture.During his time in the US, he began "looking at the differences that we… Read More
- At a May workshop in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 30 alumni of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program from five countries in sub-Saharan Africa explored topics on community project design and management. The workshop, which was organized by American Councils in conjunction with Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), was sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. IRIS is an implementing partner of the YES Program.YES program alumni… Read More
- YES Exchange alum Moiz Rehan is helping young students in Pakistan's rural area of Pallandri a small town in the province of Kashmir learn English. Moiz, who studied in the US and lived with an American host family as a part of the YES program in the 2012-2013 academic year, is also a member alum of the Workshop for Youth Leaders in Teaching English (WYLTE), an enhancement opportunity offered to select students and is sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and… Read More
- Just three months into their exchange experience, seven American high school students on the YES Abroad program in Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced Bosnian culture firsthand through life with their host families, participating in community service, attending local high schools, and learning the local language. For YES Abroad student Lili in Sarajevo, learning to live with a new family has been both challenging and exciting. Some of her most memorable moments in Bosnia so far include a… Read More
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