To show appreciation for the caring and dedication that our Local Coordinators provide day in and day out, AYA headquarters is sending a special shout out to two fantastic LCs today.
Julie from AYA appreciates Margaret, an LC from Arizona: I want to highlight Margaret E. of Arizona. I’ve loved working with Margaret over the past year or so, and I’m excited to continue working with her on the grants program. Margaret has deep compassion for our students and families and gets so much joy from helping them. Whether she’s mediating a difficult disagreement, helping a student cope with homesickness or organizing activities for exchange students to celebrate a new holiday, she is energetic and eager to share what she can.
Margaret loves to show her students all that Arizona has to offer, and I love hearing about activities that her students get to enjoy on a regular basis. These include trips to the Grand Canyon, horseback riding, going to a haunted house around Halloween and even group sleepovers at her house. To her family’s credit, they always show continual, incredible patience when Margaret announces there will be ten or more teenagers sharing their home for the weekend!
Margaret is also a problem solver. When I called her this year with a student that was particularly difficult to place, instead of telling me how hard it would be or that she didn’t think it would work, she put on her game face and decided that she would place the student no matter what. And guess what? She succeeded in placing this student in a matter of days!
Thank you, Margaret, for being consistently kind, funny and easy to work with! Despite your own personal triumphs and struggles, you never fail to work hard to support our kids and never lose sight of why we love what we do.
Ashleigh from AYA appreciates Julie, an LC from Illinois: Julie F. in Illinois placed the most AYA students with host families last year, which is quite an accomplishment, but today I’m sending a shout out for her excellent paperwork submission as well! Completing host family placement paperwork is not the most glamorous part of placing AYA students, but it is an essential element of our program and its prestige.
The process of vetting an AYA host family requires acute attention to detail, strong knowledge of program rules and procedures and impeccable personal organization. Over the five years that we have worked together, Julie has demonstrated these skills through all of her work with our compliance team.
As a high-volume placer, Julie vets dozens of families each season. Her quick turn around and consistent performance are crucial to her success. She carefully vets host families in a thorough and efficient manner, mindful of AYA’s many policies, standards and responsibilities.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Julie for her hard work and dedication to AYA and also say thanks for being a great person to work with! I value your dependability during the AYA placement season, and I am grateful that you are a part of our national network. Great job Julie!
These ladies are two great LCs and I feel honored to know them both – at least somewhat – through our National Meetings and via electronic means throughout the year. I look forward to more time together through any means! CONGRATS Margaret and Julie!!! 🙂 <3