Yes! M'sian Students Hope To Gain Life Changing Experiences In US

By Anis Amira Zamani KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- Nur Suhaila Salem, 17, is just a small town girl from Ajil, Terengganu, but she has big dreams. She will be departing for Arkansas on Jan 17 next year as one of the 45 students who are chosen for a six-month stint in the United States under the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme. "I am very much looking forward to rebrand myself when I leave for the US next month," she told Bernama here Wednesday. Echoing Suhaila's sentiment and enthusiasm was Wong King Ryu, 17, from Gopeng, Perak, who attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Teja, also in Perak. "I am hoping to know myself more, to know what my dreams really are and my goal for the future. I hope that after I go through the programme, I will have a clearer idea on what to do after I receive my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results," he said. Throughout the six months, these students, who are awaiting their SPM examination results, will live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, besides educating Americans about Malaysia and its culture. All 45 of them were selected from 2,000 applications through a nationwide interview process that involved representatives from the Education Ministry and American Field Service (AFS) Alumni, AFS volunteers as well as the US embassy. The programme is funded by the US Department of State, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by AFS Antarabudaya Malaysia. Established in 2002, the programme offers full scholarships to Malaysian secondary school students, including students with physical disabilities. AFS Malaysia, as of January this year, has sent 461 students to the US, including 15 with hearing disabilities and five who are visually impaired. Meanwhile, US embassy charge d'affaires Edgard Kagan (fourth from right), who met the students at his residence here to bid them farewell, advised them to seize the opportunity to see for themselves how America really is after the US presidential election last month (Nov 8). "I am very confident that the US hasn't changed as a result of the presidential election...Americans will continue to be welcoming, they will continue to be open, they will continue to be genuinely delighted at the opportunity to show visitors the real US," he said. Kagan, when met by reporters, said there was an 8.3 per cent increase of Malaysians studying in the US during the 2015/2016 academic year as compared to the previous year despite the depreciating ringgit. "According to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, there are 7,834 Malaysians studying in US colleges or universities in 2015/2016, and it is particularly striking because the value of ringgit has gone down. "We are very happy about the increase because it shows that Malaysians truly believe and recognise the tremendous benefits of studying internationally and particularly in the US," he added. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA