For the past ten months, more than 850 YES students have been hosted in 570 communities across the United States. During this time, they have gone to school, volunteered in their communities and tried everything from playing American football to eating pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. And although they arrived here as foreigners, they left their host families and communities this June as cherished family members and friends. It is no doubt that it was difficult to say goodbye, but when they arrived in DC for the End of the Year Workshop, they were also flooded with excitement at being reunited with YES students from their home countries and YES staff members. 

The first of two YES End of Year Workshops included a visit to the State Capitol and a reception in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room, where around 230 YES students received a warm and congratulatory welcome from Senator Lugar (Ret.), the co-founder of the YES program, who inspired them with his remarks on how impactful exchange programs are. YES students Esther Bila from Nigeria, Sumbul Ali from Pakistan and Yassine Jaziri from Tunisia gave speeches at the event, sharing highlights from their year, lessons they learned and goals they now have for the future. 

Esther spoke of how her guidance counselor helped her after her high school in Nigeria was attacked by Boko Haram. He encouraged her to get involved in extracurricular activities, which is why she joined track, concert choir and science club. She credited these activities with not only helping her feel better, but also with helping her make new friends and feel closer to her host community.

Sumbul’s speech focused on a different aspect of the YES program - her host family. She said living with a host family was one of the things she liked most about this program, because she loved having the chance not only to learn about the U.S. from them, but to also teach them about Pakistan. 

“It has been a two-way exchange. Teaching my host mom how to speak Urdu, the Pakistani national language, and hearing her say ‘Assalamualaikum,’ which means hi, every morning, felt like, I had a home away from home.”

Yassine concluded the student speeches by summarizing the year and congratulating everyone on their accomplishment of becoming YES alumni.

“Today, we finish a journey full of self discovery, adventure and personal growth, only to begin a new one as we head back home. All of us today have had tremendous experiences this year, full of joy and excitement, as well as disappointment and hardships. But what matters, ladies and gentlemen, is that we are here! We have allowed ourselves to leave our loved ones and come to the United States to present our cultures and our countries, and we have indeed succeeded. Whether you were placed in a town of 200 or 2,000,000- in the north or south, in a big or small school, every one of us has had a unique experience that will influence the rest of our lives.”

The students also had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Richard Stengel at the U.S. Department of State, as well as a panel of regional experts. Students engaged in various other activities as well. They learned what their Alumni Associations could offer them and the importance of becoming active within them, thought about projects they might want to implement and brainstormed ways to deal with challenges like culture shock that they will face upon their return to their home countries.

During the second End of Year Workshop, the State Department welcomed an additional 500 YES students for a year-end celebration. Evan Ryan, the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs led the celebration by facilitating a dialogue between the YES students and three special guests, including White House Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough; Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Shaarik Zafar; and American actor, producer and civil servant, Kal Penn. The students were excited to share their experiences in the U.S. with the guests, and even more excited to have the opportunity to ask them questions. 

To see photos from the YES End of Stay Workshop activities, visit the YES Facebook Album.