How studying abroad inspired Haken Anderson to bike across the world
Haken Anderson is an AFS-USA Study Abroad Alum who lived in Thailand during his 2023-24 exchange year with the Kennedy-Lugar…
Alumni Articles
Finding My Voice Through YES: A Journey of Music and Friendship
I’m Mert Özer from Türkiye, a YES alumni from 2024. Participating in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program…
YES Opened My World — An Open Letter on Why Exchange Matters
My name is Songül Düger, and I am a proud alumna of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program (2015–2016,…
A Year That Changed Everything: My KL-YES Experience
My name is Jasmin Kojjeh, a proud alumna of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. I participated in…
YES Gave Me a Family, a Future, a Voice
I am Janet Sam-Kobba a current YES alumna from Sierra Leone, West Africa. I was part of the YES 2018…
From Tanzania to the US: How the YES Program Shaped My Journey of Leadership and Service
It was in August 2016 when I landed in the United States of America as a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and…
The Year I Ate My Way Back Home
From midnight Oreo runs to durian in the mountains, Hamza Awaisi’s YES Abroad year in Indonesia was a journey from…
From Kenya to Michigan: How the YES Program Changed My Life
Hi! My name is Brian and I am a proud YES alumnus from Kenya. Ever since I was selected for…
Journey to Costa Rica: Gwen (Leonard) McNamara’s AFS Story
In this article, Gwen McNamara describes her journey to Costa Rica with AFS in 1974 and a recent reunion with…
Alumni Spotlight: Abby Verrando
In this article, Abby Verrando, a California high school student in her junior year, responds to a series of questions…
Why I Give to AFS-USA: An Interview with William (Bill) R. MacIntosh
Bill MacIntosh, an AFS-USA alumnus who participated in an exchange program to Brazil (Brasil in Portuguese) from 1964-1965, recently sat…
Janice Mills and an AFS 50th Year Reunion!
In this article, Janice Mills, an AFS-USA Alumna who went to Sweden with AFS in 1972, shares her experience during…
The Love Language of AFS
AFS programs have a magical way of bringing people together; across oceans, borders, languages, and cultures, participants often can’t help…
Alumni Spotlight: Natalie Rhodes
In this article, Natalie Rhodes, an AFS-USA Alumna who went to Chile for one semester during her junior year of…
An AFS Adventure to Austria in 1968!
This article is written by AFS-USA Alumnus Dave Schrader. Dave is currently an AFS Volunteer in the Greater Los Angeles…
An Interview with AFS Alumna, Amanda Sawyer (U.S. to Spain, 2018-19)
When Amanda first decided to study abroad, her main goal was to learn Spanish. What she didn’t realize was how…
Young Alumni Reflections
For more than 75 years, AFSers like you have helped advance international awareness and cultural understanding while at the same…
The Year That Changed My Life
My AFS journey began in the summer of 1996, when I went on an AFS year program in France.
AFS Families create global friendships that last a lifetime
Hosting sounded like an enjoyable experience with many benefits, so Jacque and her family said “yes!” This began an international friendship that would span 55 years.
Coming Home: An Interview with AFS Alum, Stephen Zhang (China to U.S., ’07-’08)
In high school, Stephen Zhang knew he was ready for something new. He wondered what it would be like to…
6 lessons from the AFS Returnee who went to space
AFS Returnee Samantha Cristoforetti adjusts her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. Photo Credit: NASA For many AFS participants, studying abroad…
Blog, Study Abroad Articles, Host Family Articles, Volunteer Articles, Educators Articles, Impact Articles, Alumni Articles
My Multigenerational AFS Family
It’s 2018 and I’m sitting in my grandmother’s sunny Ohio kitchen. We just went to two estate sales and are…