MONROE - Osama "Honey" Rind, a 2011-12 exchange student from Hyderabad, Pakistan, returned to Monroe in time to attend the Monroe High School Graduation Ceremonies on May 31. Honey knew many of the graduating students since she had attended the school three years ago.
Since her exchange year in Monroe, Honey has returned to Pakistan where she finished her secondary education and is preparing to enter university studies. Among other projects, she is the social media coordinator at Lahooti Music Aashram and an English language teacher at the Alpha Institute of Academic Success in Pakistan.
Honey returned to the United States for a cultural exchange visit in which she attended cultural festivals in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She accompanied Pakistani musician Saif Samejo, who had come to the United States with the International Visitor Leadership Program to tour and collaborate with American groups. Honey was able to schedule time to return to Monroe for a week to stay with her host mother, Deb Thompson, and re-connect with friends, teachers and AFS volunteers.
Honey is the eighth AFS Exchange student that Thompson, Monroe, hosted since 1999. Thompson hosted students from Sweden, Germany, Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan, Japan and Denmark.
The first exchange student from Pakistan to come to Monroe, Honey was sponsored by the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (AFS/YES). The program is a public diplomacy initiative that builds bridges of international understanding between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations. Honey was selected from a large pool of applicants for her leadership skills.
The AFS International Exchange program hopes to place students from the AFS/YES, AFS/FLEX and AFS/CBYX. Currently, students from Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and Yemen have been assigned to the area. In addition to these sponsored leadership programs, AFS places students from 90 countries.
The exchange program is looking for host families to commit to providing a bed and meals and sharing their lives with an international high school student from August 2014 to June 2015.
For information, visit www.afsusa.org or contact Monroe AFS volunteer Lisa Hendrickson at 608-558-0091.
Since her exchange year in Monroe, Honey has returned to Pakistan where she finished her secondary education and is preparing to enter university studies. Among other projects, she is the social media coordinator at Lahooti Music Aashram and an English language teacher at the Alpha Institute of Academic Success in Pakistan.
Honey returned to the United States for a cultural exchange visit in which she attended cultural festivals in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She accompanied Pakistani musician Saif Samejo, who had come to the United States with the International Visitor Leadership Program to tour and collaborate with American groups. Honey was able to schedule time to return to Monroe for a week to stay with her host mother, Deb Thompson, and re-connect with friends, teachers and AFS volunteers.
Honey is the eighth AFS Exchange student that Thompson, Monroe, hosted since 1999. Thompson hosted students from Sweden, Germany, Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan, Japan and Denmark.
The first exchange student from Pakistan to come to Monroe, Honey was sponsored by the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (AFS/YES). The program is a public diplomacy initiative that builds bridges of international understanding between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations. Honey was selected from a large pool of applicants for her leadership skills.
The AFS International Exchange program hopes to place students from the AFS/YES, AFS/FLEX and AFS/CBYX. Currently, students from Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and Yemen have been assigned to the area. In addition to these sponsored leadership programs, AFS places students from 90 countries.
The exchange program is looking for host families to commit to providing a bed and meals and sharing their lives with an international high school student from August 2014 to June 2015.
For information, visit www.afsusa.org or contact Monroe AFS volunteer Lisa Hendrickson at 608-558-0091.
