A PUBLICATION OF THE YFU-USA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

The winter chill is on and it's time to think of all the exotic places that you can go as YFU alumni. There are internships and scholarships to apply for and even tour leader opportunities in France and Italy. Check out the second page of this issue for links and details.

If you are more the stay-at-home type, there are plenty of opportunities to use your exchange experience stateside. A fabulous way to put your experience to work is to volunteer or even work for YFU. In fact, this month we have an article about the alumni who work and run our American Overseas (AO) program in the YFU national office. Another option is to write about your exchange. The Alumni Link and the Alumni Corner on the YFU-USA Alumni Association website are always accepting stories. We have also held essay contests, and included below is this fall's Alumni Referral essay winner. Erin's essay is a great example of how alumni can help others become exchange students just by sharing her experience.

A Life Changing Experience

Erin Niese (The Netherlands, 1999) submitted the winning essay for our Alumni Referral Fall 2000 Essay Contest. Congratulations, Erin! Many thanks to all who contributed and shared their great stories. Below is Erin's essay for your reading pleasure.

Dear Prospective YFU Students,

Congratulations on taking the first step in becoming a YFU exchange student! From personal experience, I can tell you that you are about to embark on a journey that will forever change your life. It's a mind-expanding journey that doesn't just last for the time you are in your foreign country, but it's something that will last you your entire life.

I remember the confusion of making a decision on whether or not I was actually going to go through with my decision to become an exchange student. I was terrified of the unknown, I was worried about all the things I would miss at my school in America, and I was terrified of actually accomplishing my dream of being independent and living aboard. I left the airport in Washington in July, tears in my eyes and shaking so badly I couldn't see straight. I arrived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on a sunny August morning. I knew I had made the right decision the minute that I arrived.

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The AO Team from left to right: Rodney Moore, David Barber, Mory Pagel, Michele Peters, Katey Riley and Marliece Thomas

Introducing... the AO Team at YFU!

The American Overseas (AO) recruitment cycle is in full swing and YFU-USA has undertaken significant changes to support the volunteers in their efforts to help American students Go Global! with YFU. In the short term, the AO program is being administered by staff members in the YFU- USA National Office to allow local groups to focus on recruitment, support, and strengthening of the volunteer force.

You might wonder who these people in the AO Department of the YFU USA National Office are. Well, many of them are YFU alumni themselves! We'd like to introduce you to these alumni who will be your AO contacts. Heading up the AO Department is David Barber, Germany 1985-86, and Rodney Moore, Norway 1989. One of the five Admissions Counselors is YFU alumnus Mory Pagel, Germany 1994-95. As the Corporate Scholarship Administrator, Katie Riley, has a special perspective, having been a Congress-Bundestag Scholarship recipient herself during the 1994-95 academic year. Michele Peters, Venezuela 1986, is filling a temporary position to set up volunteer services programs. And Marliece Thomas, Germany 1990-91, is the Marketing Coordinator and spends a lot of time working on the Youth For Understanding website.

What do all these people have in common besides being YFU alumni? They all spent some time volunteering for YFU before taking staff positions. As young alumni, they made presentations, helped support International Students, worked at Orientations, coordinated social activities for students and alumni, and interviewed American Overseas students.

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