Reynolds Senior Spending a Year in Indonesia; Will Be Blogging about His Experiences

Joe Faullin, who is a senior at Reynolds High School, is headed to Indonesia.

Faullin has been awarded a national YES (Youth Exchange and Study) Abroad scholarship for 2016-17. He will live with a host family and study in Bandung, Indonesia for the academic year and represent the United States as a student and youth ambassador.

Faullin is the son of Jeff and Elizabeth Faullin. Jeff Faullin is the principal of Brunson Elementary School.

Faullin is in the process of completing online the final two courses he needs to graduate here. While he is in Indonesia, he will be posting on a blog. You can read about his experiences at Joe Faullin 

Joe Faullin is one of only 65 competitively selected students from across the United States to receive a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program. The merit-based award covers the full cost of an academic year abroad, providing Faullin with a full cultural immersion through living with a host family in Indonesia, attending a local high school in Bandung, and helping him develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community. The YES Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

According to a release from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affair, through Faullin’s participation in the YES Abroad program, “he will be at the forefront of citizen diplomacy, serving as a ‘youth ambassador’ in his host country, promoting mutual understanding by building lasting relationships with his host family and friends, and through community engagement in volunteer service and leadership training.”  

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, as an effort to increase dialogue and mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of countries with significant Muslim populations. Initially created as a program for international high school students to live and study in the United States, the YES program was expanded in 2007 to include YES Abroad for American high school students. For the 2016-17 academic year, YES Abroad provides opportunities for Americans to study for one academic year in select countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, Thailand and Turkey.

YES Abroad is administered by a consortium of non-profit organizations, including American Councils for International Education, AFS-USA, AMIDEAST, and iEARN-USA. Exchanges taking place in Indonesia are administered by AFS-USA. AFS is a worldwide, nonprofit organization that has been a leader in international exchange for more than 60 years. Visit www.afsusa.org for more information on studying abroad, hosting an exchange student, or bringing intercultural learning into the classroom.

For more information about YES Abroad, go to YES Abroad