Farea al-Muslimi (YES 2006-2007, hosted by ASSE in Rosamond, CA) is a shining example of a YES alumni leader. He is from a remote mountain village in Yemen called Wessab, about a nine hour drive from the Sana'a. Despite this physical isolation, Farea found a way to study English through a U.S. Department of State grant that eventually helped him earn a YES scholarship. 

Farea spent his YES year in a high school in California, where he says, "I made exceptional friends with my American classmates and had the most interesting and enriching experience one could imagine. I filled my days spending time with my American friends, learning about American culture, visiting churches almost every Sunday, learning about Christianity for the first time in my life, managing the school’s basketball team, walking the Relay for Life, and even participating in a trick or treat at Halloween."

When he returned to Yemen he was able to win a four-year scholarship to the American University of Beirut (AUB) through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program.  At AUB, Farea completed a bachelor's degree in Public Policy in 2013.

Although he graduated just a few years ago, Farea is already earning more accolades. He is an activist and a writer, and was the first Yemeni and youngest individual to speak before the U.S. Senate. In 2013, Farea was named a Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine. He was the second youngest person, and only the second Yemeni ever, to receive that honor. 

Farea credits these accomplishments to his life-changing decision to study English when he was in the ninth grade. He says it, "opened doors to other opportunities, which have allowed me to see the world beyond my village and feel that I can have an impact.” 

Farea is not ready to sit on his laurels just yet - he has a lot more work to do! Ban Ki-Moon, the U.N. Secretary-General, recently appointed Farea to the Advisory Group of Experts for the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security. 

Read Farea's full testimony to the U.S. Senate!