Rita Husseiny (YES 2005-2006, Lebanon, hosted by Aspect Foundation in Gig Harbor, WA ) is currently the Head of Internal Communications at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi where she oversees strategic communication plans for caregiver programs and internal events. She built the department from the ground up in order to support business objectives.

Recently, Rita was accepted to the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) at Charles University in Prague. AIPES is a three-week intensive program designed for students looking to pursue a career in international affairs. Rita hopes that the AIPES program will bring her closer to her aspiration of a career in politics and diplomacy. After, she plans to pursue a Master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and begin the process of becoming a diplomat.

Throughout the process of the AIPES application, Rita referred to her YES experience to show how far opportunities like the YES program have developed her character and built her career. As Rita explains, “I strongly believe that the diversity we were exposed to in the YES program, as well as the skills we all developed as a result, were strong contributors to me getting accepted to Charles University.” 

As a YES alumna, Rita advises current students to take advantage of the many opportunities the program brings. She says, “The more seriously you take the YES program, the more you will get out of it. Don't just go to school then go back home. Get involved in as many extracurricular activities as you can, make loads of friends and connections, speak nothing but English, even if at first you make a lot of mistakes - it's the only way to learn. And, most importantly, stand out - it will take you a long way.”