By Jarin Tasnim Raisa (YES 2015-2016, Bangladesh, placed with World Learning in Tulsa, OK)

Being selected for the Kennedy-Lugar YES Program was a life-changing opportunity for me. Before going to the U.S. as a YES scholar, I had social anxiety and I still find it puzzling how I socialized with thousands of people from around the world in ten months of my exchange year. I met more people on my exchange year than I had in my 15 years of life prior. 

During my exchange year, I also accomplished 100 hours of community service, which made me realize the importance of serving the community for a better life for all of us. I was selected as the March 2016 YES Student of the Month and received opportunities to participate in the Workshop for Youth Leaders in English Teaching (WYLET). 

After coming back to Bangladesh, I organized a WYLET grant project called "Workshop of English Teachers for Excellence". In that project, along with other WYLET alumni, I trained 37 high school English teachers of my hometown in teaching English in an interesting way. 

Currently I am a third-year student in the Department of English, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. I am conducting a virtual project named "Take Initiative and Speak" (TIS), which is also funded by a WYLET grant and co-funded by YES Alumni Bangladesh. In that project, with three other YES alumni and I are providing training for 30 students of my university on the development of their spoken English. The aim of the project is to make the participants confident in speaking English.

To me, international education does not only mean crossing the border physically but also mentally. International education broadens our mind by making us think the same thing in different ways. In this way, it hones our ability to adopt ourselves as a global citizen in the 21st century.