Program and Events
"YES" program participants leave for the U.S.
Four talented students from Qatar left for the United States on Tuesday to take part in a year-long exchange program in which they will live with host families and study at American high schools. The scholarship program, entitled Partnerships for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (YES), provides secondary school students from several Middle Eastern, African, and Asian countries with the opportunity to study in the United States for a full academic year. Two students from Qatar participated in the program last year.
This year’s students include Sara Haroon of Amna bint Wahab School and Mohammed al-Mulla, Mohammed al-Yahri, and Mohammed Hamdouna of Omar bin Al Khattab School. In addition to living with American families and attending school, the students will participate in community service activities, youth leadership training, and a civic education program. YES is designed to help the students develop leadership skills and a comprehensive understanding of American culture.
Stephen Kochuba, cultural affairs attaché at the U.S. embassy, said that this year’s students from Qatar will learn a great deal from their experiences in America, but they will also leave behind a positive impact on their American host communities. “We are proud to send such fine cultural ambassadors from Qatar to the United States,” Kochuba said. “The YES program is a fantastic opportunity for the students to enhance their English language skills and experience American culture, but it is an equally important opportunity for them to teach Americans about Qatari society, Islam, and the Middle East.”
YES scholarship recipients are selected in a competitive application process that includes an interview. Applications for next year’s exchange program will be available in September, and interested secondary school students between the ages of 15 and 17 should contact the embassy’s public affairs office at 974-488-4101 and continue to check the embassy’s Web site at qatar.usembassy.gov for updates.