Congratulations to Mohammed (Adee) of Pakistan for being selected as the State Department's YES Student of the Month! Adee is hosted by the Goodell family in Massachusetts.  Adee has demonstrated a spirit of enthusiastic engagement with everything that the United States, his community, his school, and his host family have to offer. He has sought out opportunities for community service, committing himself to three hours per week of volunteer work at the local hospital, and assisting in several programs in his town’s Senior Center.

Adee has already participated enthusiastically in several other service projects, including resettling a homeless family in a new home. At his high school, Adee earned a position on the yearbook staff, leading the yearbook section on clubs, and is a very active member of the school Robotics club. In addition, he proposed an honors-level independent study semester program to his high school to explore Pakistan-U.S. relations in the past and present and to develop recommendations for the future.

Although Adee is a “city kid” at home in Pakistan, he is happy to brave the great outdoors in New England, and he joined his host brother on a weekend camping trip in the White Mountains.  His host family writes, “Adee is a wonderful ambassador from his country and a role model for the YES program. He has shown exceptional character in terms of integrity, thoughtfulness, friendliness, risk-taking, and openness in every situation presented to him.” Congratulations to Adee!

An Honorable Mention for Student of the Month goes to Amer from West Bank, hosted in Maine. Amer, who comes from a town near Bethlehem, has been active in giving presentations to American student groups about his homeland and its importance, and his perspective on living in the heart of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the West Bank. He has made a concerted effort to make friends with Americans as well as with exchange students from around the world living in the area. His placement organization calls him “an exemplary exchange student.”

<em>Photo, courtesy of the Goodell Family: Mohammed and his host brother</em></p>