2006 Speeches
Lebanese High School Students Depart for Year's Study in the United States
"Lebanon's Finest Ambassadors" Says Ambassador Feltman
August 7, 2006Twenty eight Lebanese Youth Exchange and Study (YES) scholarship winners departed Lebanon to spend a year living and studying in the United States, Monday, August 7, 2006. The students traveled by helicopter to Cyprus to catch an onward flight to Washington D.C. U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey D. Feltman spoke to the students before they departed, calling them “Lebanon’s finest ambassadors.” He urged the students, who come from throughout Lebanon, to teach Americans about Lebanon’s rich culture and diverse traditions.
The students will participate in a three-day orientation for YES grantees from around the world in Washington D.C. before departing to spend the academic year living with American families and attending high school. The Youth Exchange and Study (YES) scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of State. More than 100 Lebanese high schools students have participated in the program in the past four years. This year 34 Lebanese students will travel to the United States to participate in the program which involves 675 students from 28 different countries.
During a full academic year, the Lebanese YES students live as members of an American family. They participate in extracurricular activities to develop a well-rounded understanding of American culture through interaction with diverse groups of Americans. Likewise, the students act as cultural ambassadors to their American host communities, teaching them about Lebanon. Students who have participated in the program in the past describe it as a “life-transforming” year, during which they made many American friends
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey D. Feltman honored the YES grantees and their families at an American-style barbeque in celebration of the 230th anniversary of U.S. Independence, July 2, 2006.
