Dear Carmen,Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a Finalist for a 2013-14 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship for study in Malaysia!
After months of waiting I never thought I would get to read those words. I first discovered this amazing program after failing to make it as a finalist for NSLI-Y. Actually, not failing because I didn’t fail, I just learned so much more about myself and that helped me out a lot the second time I tried. When I first applied to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad I applied hoping for three specific countries out of the thirteen offered: Turkey, Oman, and South Africa. Malaysia was a surprise, but a surprise that has rattled my whole world and what I expected of my upcoming year. So don't knock something out because it is not what you expected.
As a senior I will be deferring from New York University I have finally made up my mind and after a lot of thought I have decided that from my two options this is more me. No one is 100% sure of what or where they want to be, so while I might still have my doubts at least I am going to college! The most exciting part of this is that when I return from my gap year in Malaysia I will be spending my freshmen year in Florence, Italy! Yes, that is a tough thing to think about. It will be hard and I honestly don't know what I got myself into but if my mom has agreed to let me go, then I must be ready to do this. Maybe not ready, but prepared. After spending so much time thinking about doing this it seems almost surreal to actually have it in my hands now.
I know things are going to be hard and there will be times I will want to return home, but I will always give it my best to take a lot from those experiences. I hope to become more than a visitor to my future host community and host family, I hope to become part of their community and of their family.
Look Malaysia!
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