by Asli Hercihan (YES 2012-13, Turkiye, placed by AFS-USA in Brodhead, WI)

To everyone whose paths have crossed with the YES program somehow, or may cross one day, this is a story of what happens after your exchange year. Just when you feel like all that exchange glam, excitement, achievements, and memories are over, well, that’s when your alumni life begins, and it is equally amazing!

I was a YES student in 2012-13. After that year full of life-long memories and experiences, when I came back to Türkiye, I felt like that was it. But little did I know that now I would be a part of a huge alumni family: YES alumni Turkey.

YES alumni volunteers helped me through everything so that I was able to have a smooth experience. Right after my own re-entry orientation camp in 2013, I started looking for ways to be a part of this family too because I wanted to give back. I wanted to help the next participants and do everything I could do for this amazing program. I have been volunteering for YES Alumni Turkey for 11 years. I’ve never stopped because I’ve always believed that this is where I feel the most like myself. In addition to the joy of giving back, volunteering with alumni is also where you can find yourself with others who share similar experiences. I am 100% sure that YES people, no matter where they are from, have a special bond. I have my best friends thanks to YES.

During the past 11 years, I have tried my best to help the community. I always knew that YES alumni volunteers in Türkiye work hard, but I got to see it with my own eyes when I started volunteering. I took different roles each year such as helping with the written exam for the new participants, selection interviews, family visits, and organizing and volunteering in the pre-departure and re-entry orientation camps.

Besides the program procedures, I volunteered for social impact projects developed by alumni in Türkiye and supported with YES grant funds from the U.S. Department of State. I was a member of the Trainers Team helping to organize trainings for alumni. Then I got to experience being a board member of the YES Alumni Turkey Association. After 3 years of being a board member, I decided that I wanted to do more, and I signed up to be the chairperson of the association. Here I am, once an exchange student, now the chairperson of the community that I call my family. I have been chair for the past 2 years and I have 1 more year to go with my board team. We do our best to represent the program. We want to make sure that this program continues to be a life-changing opportunity for young people in Turkiye and elsewhere so that we will bring peace to the world.

So, to all the people out there who have crossed paths with the YES program in any way, or who may cross paths one day, please don’t think that everything is over once your exchange year is over. Your stories continue in the next part of your journey. Please volunteer with your local YES program. YES alumni in Turkiye are open to building relationships with others, sharing knowledge and experiences, conducting projects together, and many more things. I will always be a part of this amazing family.