We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on one of our outstanding exchange students who has truly embodied the spirit of learning, growth, and cultural exchange. Meet Kelana, our esteemed Student of the Month for February 2024! Originally from Indonesia, this YES Program student has embraced new experiences, fostered cross-cultural connections, and left a lasting impact on his host family and community in Oregon. Join us as we delve into Kelana’s journey, celebrating his achievements, and reflect on the profound impact of hosting an exchange student.
Learn more about Kelana and why he was nominated to be the February 2024 Student of the Month:
“Kelana has been an exceptionally positive and involved student right from the start. He participated in football and wrestling at school, but still found time to complete more than 70 hours of community service already!
Kelana makes the best of every situation, choosing to make an adventure out of new and sometimes challenging experiences, like not being able to fly back to his host community from a program because of an ice storm! Instead of being anxious or frustrated Kelana took the opportunity to get to know a new host family and town, leaving behind another great impression.
In addition to being open to anything, Kelana is an outstanding student. His first semester GPA was 4.3!
Kelana truly embodies the spirit, attitude, and actions AYA and YES program hope for in our participants!”
In our Instagram spotlight on Kelana, his host mom commented to share:
“We soooo loved having Kelana with us and hope one day we can meet up again. He is a beautiful soul with so much love for everyone he meets. He took the time to share some cultural differences with us too. We are a culturally Jewish family. Kelana was able to share with us the similarities and differences between his experience as a Muslim and my own children’s experiences being Jewish. It was so enjoyable to find common ground and I am immensely grateful for his willingness to share with our family. [You] didn’t mention how amazing of a chef he is!!! One day I fully expect to see him owning a worldwide restaurant group as Kelana is the embodiment of a global citizen. I can only hope my boys grow up to show his level of genuine humanity and love.”
Did you know you can host an exchange student like Kelana?
Host families from across the United States come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you’d like to host for a full school year, a semester, or just for a few weeks as Welcome Family, you can make an impact on an exchange student’s life by hosting!
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