Zainab is an AYA exchange student from Pakistan through our partnership with the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES). She is an eager, helpful and compassionate student that lives in Ohio with her host family, the Schneiders and their two children. She recently shared with us, “I am learning so much through this exchange program that I would have never have learned by sitting at home and reading stuff out of an encyclopedia.” At AYA that’s exactly the kind of experience that we have provided to our students and host families for over 30 years. She also shared, “Each day is new for me. I am not just learning about the world, I am learning with the world.”
Zainab fuels her passion for helping others through volunteerism at her local school and in her community. Each day she devotes 45 minutes to spend time with students with disabilities and assists with their daily reflections and computer lessons. Zainab commented, “This experience so far has taught me how important it is to help others, and how my presence can make others happy.” She also has presented on Pakistan’s culture and traditions in her classroom and to the Board of Education in her Ohio town. She shared with us, “I received such a positive response from everyone after presenting and my classmates loved it!” Our program affords our students to build confidence, teach our communities about the world, and return home as a global ambassadors.
We know Zainab’s host family is very proud of her and all her accomplishments in just 6 months! Her host mom, commented, “She is a great gal!” We could not agree more and we can’t wait to see what else she will rise up to during her last 4 months here.
If you would like to learn more about students like Zainab, view our student profiles, here!
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