Lim Ke Shin is one of 14 alumni who will be attending the YES Alumni Social Entrepreneur Workshop in Alexandria, VA from March 20-23, 2017. Look for more on these participants in the coming weeks as they work on changemaking projects!

By Lim Ke Shin, YES 2012-2013, Malaysia, hosted by PAX in Concord, NH

My YES exchange experience has changed me in big and little ways, from the way I dress to my educational and professional choices.

I was once a self-centered girl who didn’t know how big the world was, but through the YES program, I learned to be understanding and to see things from different perspectives. Throughout my exchange year, I learned to put myself into other people’s shoes, especially when living with my host family and volunteering for special needs students. I learned to empathize, observe and analyze the situation before making any judgments or jumping to conclusions. Empathy is a big part of preventing and solving conflicts. People often make assumptions but never try to take initiative to communicate, understand the problem and solve it together.

My YES experience substantially influenced me to choose to teach English in my home country. Though I had learned English in school before going on the YES program, it was a whole different experience being immersed in an environment where English was the primary language. However, I saw it as a challenge which turned out to be my passion. My English drastically improved, which really boosted my self-confidence.

I also learned critical thinking skills while I was in the United States. I am glad that I was exposed to critical thinking in classes like film studies and sociology. Critical thinking skills helped improve my problem-solving skills, which, as an alumna, helped me develop projects to address issues in my home country.

It is such a privilege to be a part of the YES family and I would never trade anything for that.