YES Programs

MENU  

STORIES


January 2015 YES Student of the Month: Arooba Khan

Arooba Sitting With A Dog

The January YES Student of the Month, Arooba Khan from Pakistan, is helping to bridge cultures in her rural host community in Orange County, VA (hosted by AIFS). At every opportunity, she has reached out to lend a hand, explore new activities, share her culture, and make friends, including some four-legged ones. 
 
Terrified of dogs for both cultural and personal reasons when she arrived in the United States, Arooba found herself placed in a temporary host family with a canine companion named Dragonfly. With much determination and the support of her local coordinator and host mother, Arooba befriended Dragonfly and now gets along famously with the pet dog belonging to her permanent host family. She has joined the Natural Horse Addicts 4-H Horse Club and learned how to care for many farm animals. As part of her volunteer service, Arooba has also made shelters for homeless cats.
 
Arooba’s teachers at Orange County High School appreciate her positive attitude and willingness to get involved in a range of extracurricular activities and projects. As a member of the Student Council Association (SCA), she worked tirelessly on Homecoming, doing everything from making floats, to crowning the court, to cleaning up after the event. She traveled with the SCA to the Virginia Student Council Association Advisory Committee meeting. Arooba was a manager for the girls’ volleyball team and is now a cheerleader for basketball.  For her high grades and community service, she was invited to join the National Honor Society and helped with their charity Thanksgiving Dinner to raise money for children in the hospital. In fact, Arooba has already completed 100 volunteer hours.  

In addition to all her other activities, Arooba has arranged a full schedule of presentations about her home country. She has discussed her culture and her beliefs as a Muslim and has also taken on the difficult subject of the 9/11 attacks and the negative impact they had on Muslims around the world. Her talks – as well as all her other contributions to the community – have made quite an impression. As her local coordinator writes, “Due to her warm and giving personality, many Americans are seeing Pakistan and its struggles in a new light.”
 
Congratulations, Arooba! 


Share: