The Light - An Alumni Publication Winter 2014/2015 | Page 31
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
together, we felt connected through the same
emotions, joys and challenges that the conference
presented. I made several new friends that week,
including Rami, a Muslim woman from Indonesia,
who thanked us all for accepting her, even though
she felt like others outside of the organization may
not. We took the time to listen to her and work
with each other, and by doing this, we came to
understand that our similarities are greater than our
differences.
Most people have a career, but I have a calling.
I firmly believe that youth exchange has the power
to make us citizens of one world, and the events in
Paris and my experience there at that time proved
it yet again for me. In my over 13 years with YFU,
I have witnessed the power of youth exchange
first hand. What starts with one student and one
family grows to impact an entire high school and
community, bonding those who share the experience
through their lifetime. Those students who go on
exchange grow to become adults equipped with the
tools to make a true impact on the world because
of the qualities they learned from their time abroad.
We help these students and families to appreciate
the differences and embrace their similarities, and
thus, break down the barriers and stereotypes of the
world.
“MOST PEOPLE HAVE A CAREER,
BUT I HAVE A CALLING. “
Will the recent events stop me from traveling?
No. However, they have served to strengthen
my beliefs that what I do everyday matters. From
Saginaw MI, I try to change the world; one student
and one family at a time.
Dinner table of global colleagues from: France, Indonesia, China,
Germany, Estonia, USA, Sweden.
— Jennifer Heusted-McKendree
Marketing Manager at YFU USA
International colleagues attend YFU Academy. Represented from left to right by: Ukraine, USA, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Lithuania,
Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Belgium, Czech Republic, Norway, USA, Germany, Netherlands, China, Estonia. Photo
courtesy of Marcos Mezzottoni
YFU
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