2/23/2010 - Medford Teen Wins Scholarship, Trip to Russia
South Jersey Local News
John Laberee, a 15-year-old high school sophomore from Medford, is headed to Russia as the recipient of a State Department-funded scholarship to promote foreign language studies.
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship is aimed at helping students who want to study languages that are not the first choice of most students, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, Farsi and Korean.
Laberee became interested in Russian culture while taking an AP (Advanced Placement) European history class and has spent three nights a week being tutored in Russian since last summer, after learning of his being chosen for the scholarship.
He will be going to Russia as part of the AFS intercultural student exchange program, which places American students overseas and brings foreign students here. AFS, which used to stand for American Field Service before it became an international organization, is a volunteer-run organization with more than 60 years of experience. Its goal is to help overcome cultural differences and thereby promote a peaceful world.
Shawnee High School has hosted a foreign student for each of the past six years and has had several other local students go abroad under AFS sponsorship. (Laberee is home-schooled.)
In Russia, Laberee will live with a non-English speaking Russian family for six months and attend public school in Astrakhan in the Volga Region.
His courses will be taught in Russian.
Laberee said he is grateful to AFS for helping him realize the opportunity. “AFS has offered me so much support,” he said. “Every time I felt like I was in the dark, AFS shed light.”
He said he hopes that while studying in Russia he will also be a goodwill ambassador. “My presence will help dispel myths about Americans and vice-versa.” Laberee explained. “I am interested in political science and history and hope to have a career in international relations. My experience in Russia will help build bridges and increase cultural understanding.”
He also hopes his experience will inspire American families to host a foreign student through AFS and encourage other American students to consider study abroad.
Read the original article here.
 |
Printer Friendly |
