By Aleksandar and Gordana Stojanoski, parents of Evgenija Stojanoska (YES 2018-2019, Macedonia, hosted by CIEE in North Canton, Ohio)

As the parents of a participant in the YES program, we would like to share our impressions of our daughter's stay in America, in order to help potential candidates and primarily their parents and encourage them to approach this program with full confidence.

We know nothing about the future of our children. Our 15-year-old daughter accidentally came across the information from a friend that she could apply to study in America and take the test in a nearby town. She wanted to take the test. We were reserved and didn’t take it seriously, but we didn’t stop her. We didn’t even search the Internet to find out more about the program.

She passed the first test. New tests and activities followed and it became clear that this was a serious program that chooses the most well-suited students and prepares them, mostly psychologically, for their stay with an American family. Evgenija became one of the finalists and we couldn’t believe that we would have to entrust the child we raised, not to a single person, but to an organization which guaranteed safety.

The YES program staff organized meetings for us with parents of previous participants who shared information and experiences. This helped us understand that the program is serious and responsible and there is no place for doubt. Even the smallest details about the stay were planned and explained. All of our questions (and we as parents had a lot) were fully answered. 

We are grateful that the YES program stayed true to every word and all guarantees regarding our child. As the time of her departure approached, even the thought of her travelling to another continent raised great concern. But everything was fine. After getting exhausted from worrying we were happy to get her call that she had arrived in Ohio. She was excited and happy.  

The American family that took care of our daughter for ten months accepted her as their own child, helped her, guided her with advice and support, and made her stay in a foreign country easy. They told us that they admired her courage and confidence, and that seeing a 15-year-old leave her family and go on an uncertain journey offered a good example of how to educate their own kids. The American family took her to places like New York, Cleveland, and Niagara Falls, and celebrated with her traditional holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

We are also grateful to the high school teachers, who helped her adapt without any pressure. Evgenija had only good words to say about them. She gained knowledge, improved her English, and learned about American culture. She gained new friends and even went with them to an Ariana Grande concert. All the school activities in which she took part--sport, art, drama, and choir--expanded her views and gave her courage to experience new things. She received support from her classmates and teachers and was accepted without any prejudice. 

The care from the YES program was obvious. YES program staff were in constant contact with our daughter and with that Evgenija never felt alone.

We are grateful for her safe trip, that she stayed with a family that accepted her as their own child, that this experience sparked her confidence and independence. And we are grateful for her safe return home.

We are grateful that the YES program continued working with the students after their return home, through seminars and workshops which helped them to adapt and adjust.

Finally, we would like to wish success to all future finalists and we hope that they get the chance to improve their independence, self-confidence, and tolerance, as our child did. We would advise their parents not to worry too much, because this program will accept their children, care for them, and bring them back home safely. We personally experienced it.

P.S. Believe us, if Evgenija had the chance to do this all over again, she wouldn’t hesitate. And we would entrust her to the YES program again, too.