by Vitsal Mehta, YES 2017-18, India, hosted by AFS in College Park, MD

I recently applied for a youth cultural ambassador program sponsored by the American Turkish Association of Washington DC (ATA-DC) and was lucky enough to be selected as one of fifteen youth cultural ambassadors in the DC metropolitan area. The selected high school students participated in several activities such as tours of the World Bank, the 'US Congress and volunteering at the annual Turkish Festival. The Festival takes place in the heart of Washington DC with more than 16,000 people attending.

I think the best part was visiting Capitol Hill and Congress and having the chance to meet several members of Congress, which certainly made it a memorable experience! Being on a YES exchange program leaves you with plenty of opportunities to develop into your best selves. I thank all people who helped me have such a wonderful experience which definitely has given an amazing start to my exchange year in the United States as a YES cultural ambassador!