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I work for a nonprofit organization that designs educational exchange
programs for international students. These students learn about American
culture and values firsthand by living with an American host family and
attending an American high school for a year. We place these students in
communities throughout the U.S.<br>
<br>
One of our students who will be arriving in August is Tea from Bosnia and
Herzegovina. She is an aspiring journalist and we are very excited to see
what this upcoming year in the U.S. has in store for her. We know that
Tea is eager to experience not only American culture as a whole, but also
learn for herself the differences in accessibility and resources for
people in the United States who are visually impaired. Our students
typically arrive ready to embrace new experiences! Her exchange program,
the YES Program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, which
means Tea underwent a rigorous screening and application processthe
acceptance rate for the program is only 3% out of tens of thousands of
applicants.<br>
<br>
We are hoping to spread information about Tea to people who may be
interested in hosting her because we truly believe this will be a
transformative experience for both our student and for a family who opens
their home to her. If you feel this is something that may interest your
group, I would be pleased to speak with you further and provide
additional information about this bright, young scholarship student.
<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Amanda Morgan<br>
<br>
<b>Amanda Morgan<br>
</b>Senior Program Officer, International Student Support Team<br>
American Councils for International Education<br>
1828 L Street N.W., Suite 1200<br>
Washington, D.C. 20036<br>
<b>T:</b> 202-833-7522 <br>
<b>Toll-free:</b> 1-866-790-2086<br>
<b>F:</b> 202-833-7523<br>
<i><a href="http://inbound.americancouncils.org/">
http://inbound.americancouncils.org</a> <br>
</i> <br>
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20160722162324.01961df8@visi.com.1" width=320 height=36 alt="AC logo signature">
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“Hello! My name is Tea. I hope that you will consider me as a member of
your family so together we can create memories that will last forever!”
Tea and her family enjoy cooking, playing board games, and sharing
picnics. Although visually impaired, Tea quickly adapts to new
environments – her parents agree that it won’t take long to be familiar
with her new school and host family surroundings. They are proud of her
adaptability and independence; in familiar environments she navigates
independently with the assistance of a white cane. Tea tutors children in
her free time, and she says “I love helping kids! I improve myself
through this activity, and I help others with my knowledge.” Helping in
the community is important to Tea, “we need to work for our country and
for our future.” In the future, she aspires to become a journalist. “I
want to improve my community. Protecting human rights is my goal and
making people talk about things that need to be improved.” At school, Tea
is an active member of debate and enjoys singing in the choir. She is
very active and enjoys bicycling, playing basketball, and gymnastics. Tea
loves spending time with friends, especially going to the theater and
watching movies. She is the friend to ask for a book recommendation as
she is an avid reader and writer. To her host family, she writes, “I’m
looking forward to meeting you and learning about American culture from
you!”<br>
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