YES Student of the Month: October 2022
Hard work and positive attitude pay off for tech-loving Indonesian
PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is delighted to nominate Audrey, a YES exchange student from Indonesia, and DeQueen, Arkansas as the YES October Student of the Month!
From the moment she got off her flight, Audrey has had a smile on her face and is eager to join her host family’s activities. Even though she has only been in the U.S. for a month, she has already volunteered, joined clubs, and most importantly, been a great friend to everyone she meets.
Audrey didn’t have to wait long to jump into American life, as her first week in the U.S. was also the county fair in her host community. Although she was slightly jet lagged, she readily helped her host brother prepare his show animals, volunteered at the ticketing gate, and even submitted some art pieces, one of which won first place! While volunteering at the ticketing stand at the county fair, her quick math skills and cheery aura made her the perfect choice to welcome people.
After her fast and fun first week, Audrey made sure to start sharing her Indonesian culture. To date, she has cooked nasi goreng (fried rice) and rawon (beef stew) for her family and friends. Audrey says, “It’s small, but I tried to show my gratitude by giving my host family a lot of gifts from Indonesia.”
I just really want to share with everybody about Indonesia and where I come from.
At school, Audrey is taking classes such as physics and calculus to help her pursue her dream to have a STEM-related career. Audrey says she’s not sure what she wants to do for a career but says, “It will be related to computers or engineering. Technology is just really cool to me, and I love working with computers.”
Audrey also has an interest in learning languages, so she is taking Spanish. She has adjusted well and even made the highest score on a U.S. history test. Audrey has also joined a lot of clubs. She is in Quiz Bowl, Spanish club, and TSA (Technology Student Association). And lastly, she joined FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) where she is hoping to run for vice president. Audrey says, “I love school! My favorite class is probably engineering. In the class, we get to make a lot of things such as a model of a house. I spent three nights making my house and I got a 98 for it!”
Audrey also has a YouTube channel where she uploads videos about the YES program and her life as an exchange student and is eager to share her culture. When asked about her nomination she said, “My days have been so full of activities, and I just really want to share with everybody about Indonesia and where I come from. I feel like I have tried my best from the start and will continue to do my best until the day I go back home.”
Audrey has embraced being an exchange student and a representative of Indonesia, the YES program, and PAX. For this reason, PAX is delighted to nominate Audrey as the YES October Student of the Month!
—The PAX Sponsored Team
