By Fawz Elbeshti (YES 2019 – 2020, Libya, hosted by AFS in Wheeler County, GA)

Hey y’all! I’m Fawz from Libya and I’m a hijabi cheerleader!

Since the day I got to my host school, I wanted to try cheerleading. I wanted something new, something completely out of my comfort zone, and something that we only saw on TV; so I went for basketball cheerleading - with my hijab. I was never a dancer and I didn’t learn the cheers easily in the beginning. It wasn’t easy at all, but it was something I wanted to do and I did it!

Thanks to my host school, I was allowed to participate in varsity cheerleading with no prior experience. I love basketball games and cheering for my friends on the court! I know I will miss the basketball games and cheerleading a lot when I return home. 

Wearing my hijab did not stop me from trying new things! Cheerleading is fun and I would still do it, even if I knew it would be hard. It really got me out of my comfort zone and made me more confident. 

I’m grateful for everyone who gave me this opportunity from the coach, my cheerleading team, my host school and the YES Program! I may not be the best in it but it is still an eye opening experience, and I love every moment.