Jul 23 / Hosting YES students!

by Kay Sutt, Santa Fe, NM

My husband and I have hosted YES students the last two years. Jessica from Indonesia was our first YES student in 2006-07 and Cansu from Turkey was our second in 2007-08. Our years with both girls were wonderful! Both students were excellent ambassadors for their countries, helping dispel the misunderstandings between our cultures, and both will be wonderful ambassadors for the U.S., as they explain their experiences to friends and families in their home countries.

But more important, they were wonderful people, making many friends and becoming valued members of their family and school communities during their year in New Mexico. Both girls matured and grew monumentally during their year, as we grew to love and respect them as individuals and as members of their countries and cultures. I highly recommend anyone who is thinking of hosting a YES student to do so without fear. The friendships and experiences to be gained are life-changing, not only for the students, but for their American families as well. We look forward with pride to the future of both “our” girls, and to the YES program.