Welcoming exchange students into your classroom can benefit the entire school community! In this episode we hear from AFS students in Indiana and Washington. They discuss their experiences as US high school students: activities they’ve been involved in, how things are different from home, and the positive impact of supportive teachers.
We also get the perspective of the teachers who work with these students. How have AFS students shared their culture and unique perspective in school, providing learning opportunities for their peers?
Guests:
Medyen Jubran, Abbas Mortada, Mark Liepe, Brandi Asher (East Noble High School, Kendallville, IN)
Sai Charan Tharmani and Annie DeGroot (Rainier Beach High School, Seattle, WA)
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES): www.yesprograms.org
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Welcoming exchange students into your classroom can benefit the entire school community! In this episode we hear from AFS students in Indiana and Washington. They discuss their experiences as US high school students: activities they’ve been involved in, how things are different from home, and the positive impact of supportive teachers.
We also get the perspective of the teachers who work with these students. How have AFS students shared their culture and unique perspective in school, providing learning opportunities for their peers?
Guests:
Medyen Jubran, Abbas Mortada, Mark Liepe, Brandi Asher (East Noble High School, Kendallville, IN)
Sai Charan Tharmani and Annie DeGroot (Rainier Beach High School, Seattle, WA)
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES): www.yesprograms.org
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Kate M.
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. My name is Kate Mulvihill. The AFS Exchange is a podcast by AFS-USA where we open the door to hear from members of our AFS family. This is a place to have conversations, or ya know, exchanges, with AFS host families, students, volunteers, and educators.
During these exchanges, we will hear from our guests on how their lives have been impacted by AFS. What lessons have they taken away from their experience abroad, or their experience with hosted students in the United States?
[Music]
Kate M.
In this episode we will examine how AFS students can impact a school and the community at large. First, you will hear from my interviews with 2 students and 2 educators from one school, East Noble High School in Kendallville, Indiana. Then, I included a clip sent in by an AFS student and his teacher from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington.
These teachers express how their AFS students have taught their peers about life outside of the US, in both structured and organic interactions. The students talk about their impressions of high school in the US- their classes, extracurriculars, what surprised them about school, and more.
So, to start, the 4 guests from East Noble in Indiana?
We have Abbas Mortada from Lebanon and his English teacher Brandi Asher.
We also have Medyen Jubran from Palestine and his science teacher, Mark Liepe.
Mark Liepe is also the coach of the school’s Science Olympiad team, of which Medyen and Abbas are both members.
Abbas and Medyen both came to the United States through the YES Program, which is the US Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES).
The YES Program brings high school students (from countries of strategic importance) to the United States for an academic year to advance the U.S. foreign policy goals of promoting civil society, youth leadership development, and lasting ties between Americans and the people of participating countries.
We’ll set the scene by hearing about Kendallville, Indiana, from the people who live there. Abbas, Medyen, and Mark will teach us about Science Olympiad…
And we’ll finish up with Abbas and Brandi sharing their thoughts on The American Dream, Gatsby, and AP English.
[Music]
Kate M.
So, today you will hear from…
Abbas M.
Okay, so I'm Abbas Mortada from Lebanon. Middle East, of course.
Medyen J.
Alright, so my name is Medyen Jubran. I am an AFS YES exchange student from Bethlehem.
Mark L.
So my name is Mark Liepe, and I teach at East Noble High School. The science department chair, I coach cross country for boys and girls and have for 33 years. And then also Science Olympiad coach.
Brandi A.
Okay. I'm Brandy Asher, and I teach English high school English right now, this is my 21st year, I believe, as a teacher,
Kate M.
East Noble High School is located in Kendallville, in northeast Indiana. The city has a population of about 10,000. This community has welcomed over 50 students from 25 different countries over the years!
I have never been to Kendallville, so I think it would be best to hear more from those who live in the community and know what life is like for high schoolers there.
Mark L.
Oh, well, I think it's kind of quiet. There's not a lot of, let's see, things to distract you from just a normal life, I guess. We don't have a lot of violence going on.
And the town's got probably about 10,000 people. And there’s a rural farm ground outside of that.
Medyen J.
Kendallville is a small town in Indiana. For a teenager, when you're in a small town, you don't really have so much to do, but you can make yourself busy as I did. I just got involved in all these clubs, and I'm busy and I spend so much time with my friends. You know, some of our friends work after school. We go to the gym, we play basketball, and in spring, I'm looking forward to play tennis with my friends.
Brandi A.
It's a pretty rural area. So if you would drive your Kendallville- it wouldn't take you long and lots of farmland, lots of houses sitting on acres.
Kendallville is only about 25 minutes from one of the largest cities in Indiana. So even though the students are kind of out there they can easily drive to the bigger city.
Mark L.
So athletics are probably the biggest draw. And then outside of that, we have band, show choir, our science programs pretty good. So I think anything that you can make a connection with the different people and have a fun, social, but also competitive aspect to it is what kind of draws them in. Now outside of school, most of them either work or they hang out with friends.
Brandi A.
We offer all the different sports you can think of. And then FFA is big- Future Farmers of America. And so a lot of my students' farms have run in like for generations and their family. And so like when they graduate, and after they go to college, if they choose to, then they'll sometimes, you know, return to that situation where they might carry on the farm that their family has been running for, for years and years and years. So FFA is big.
Kate M.
Before coming to the United States, Abbas was really only familiar with the big cities. However… most of our AFS students aren’t placed in New York City, or Los Angeles, or Miami. Many of our students are in suburban and rural areas, in nearly all 50 states!
Abbas M.
You know, see, I ended up in Indiana. Okay. And you're American. And you know what, Indiana compared to California and New York and you know, every foreign kids dream what? So, before coming, you know, the ask is about like, where do you want to go? I'm like, the only place I know in America is probably New York. And before coming only know about your kids from the movies. What did the movie show in New York is just a place where people almost get run over. And they drink coffee.
See for me, I'm really minimalistic person. I love the cornfields no matter how long they are. I love the trees. I love- currently through the snow and the cold is not that enjoyable, but I really love it. Deer hunting. Everything so far is just so lovely. I can't great and my host family are just one of the greatest people I've ever met. So it's been such a blessing. I'm really grateful.
Kate M.
I asked Abbas and Medyen what surprised them about the US high school experience. Usually when I ask this question, I hear about busy hallways in between periods, fire drills, things like that. I wasn’t expecting such an enthusiastic response from Abbas, but here we go.
Abbas M.
Lunch. Whoa, you guys have pizza in your lunches. You have good real food? Like no, no. For real. You have like meals. Okay. See in my country we have like, see our main lunch? Our lunch is a main meal. It's not just a snack. Like we have like a full meal. So it has because the seat you have your lunch is 12 to one hour lunch or like a three. Okay, so it is we usually get off school. That's where we go and eat with our families all together. You guys eat at school and then you have dinner together? No, it doesn't work like that. For us. I was like, I knew there was a lunch. I thought it was just a break a snack or something? No, there was pizza.
This is gonna be literally the life. I'm gonna have pizza every single day. I mean, I’m gunna grow a pizza tree in my stomach, but not that healthy but it's America. Yeah, that was a surprise for me.
Kate M.
And for Medyen, he was surprised by how central a role sports play in the school community at East Noble.
Medyen J.
Everyone just knows the American high school as the movies. But it's kind of the same as the movies. But I have seen in reality that high school students are so much serious about sports, which is really, it was something really big for me because I'm not really an athletic as much as I'm a education/science person. But it was really cool, just you know, to be to see these students who are really serious about sports and excited.
And I'm currently doing track. It's really cool just to run with the friends and chat. It's just the team spirit.
Kate M.
Okay, so we have heard a bit about East Noble High School in Kendallville, Indiana. 10,000 people, a short drive from Fort Wayne. Future Farmers of America, music, and sports are popular activities for students.
Another favorite activity of students, if you ask Medyen and Abbas? Science Olympiad.
Medyen J.
Yep. So Science Olympiad is like a competition which students compete in various fields of science, such as Earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering.
Abbas M.
Okay? Science Olympiad is Nerd Club. That's number one you should know. It's Nerd Club.
Kate M.
Hah so this actually came up a lot. But besides, uh, Nerd Club, what is Science Olympiad?
Mark L.
Science Olympiad is kind of like a track meet of science. And in a track meet you have the sprinters, the throwers, long distance, whatever other events, and Science Olympiad we have broken down into, like physics and engineering group, we have a biology group, forensics, we have building events.
Abbas M.
So every year, there are 23 events. We get a team of 15 students.
Mark L.
And they're partnered up either, usually two people, we have a few events that are three, and during a competition day, they will spend about an hour either taking a test to compete against other students from the state, or they'll build a device that's competitive against others from other schools as well. Kind of like if you've ever seen the robot battle competitions.
Kate M.
And there are many different events!
Mark L.
So like Medyen, one of the events season is he's building a bridge that can support the most weight per mass of bridge.
Medyen J.
I'm also doing dynamic planet, which is about mostly ecology, like about the oceans, the water, the mountains, the hills, the rivers.
Mark L.
So and then we've got like, another competition of forensics, where they're given a crime scene, and they've got to solve the different parameters of that crime scene, and then do a write up.
Medyen J.
And other students, like, you know, might compete in forensics, code busters, you know, many different stuff, parachute or many different stuff that has to do with science calculations and everything. It's really, really cool and fun.
Abbas M.
I'm actually in the, in our build room here. So like, this is our let me see if you can see it. It's kind of a catapult.
Yeah. Yeah. This is for the trajectories events. We have an airplane.
Mark L.
So it's kind of neat. A lot of teamwork. And it's one of those things that you don't think it's very fun. And then you get into us, and wow, this is a lot more fun than I thought it was.
Kate M.
So Medyen knew Mr. Liepe because he was a student in his AP Bio class. Abbas heard about him and Science Olympiad through a chance encounter with a neighbor.
Abbas M.
So it was my first week in the US, so it was August in the car with my host dad, and our neighbor was having a walk, my host dad stopped, and he was like, “Oh, our neighbor is an engineer for the military. You have to talk to him. You're into physics and all that stuff. You have to talk to him.” I was like, “Sure.” Mr. Nick. I talked to him. And he was like, “You have to go tomorrow to the school. Talk to Mr. Liepe and join Science Olympiad team. We need to win this year. We need some people like you.” I had no clue what I was throwing myself into. But I told you that the only advice that I got from past alumni, "Never say no in the US." Unless it's you know, something wrong, but never say no, to their good experiences.
Mark L.
Both of them have been a very positive part of our Science Olympiad. One thing that looks a little bit different from American students, I think just because of their culture, their education is highly work oriented. So you just work at your grades, work at your grades, work at your grades, and then your clubs and sports are secondary. Whereas a lot of the American students, it's more of a blend of work hard at the academics, but also the athletics and the clubs kind of take up a lot of your time as well. So they have a very, very strong work ethic, which I've been kind of impressed with.
Kate M.
And now, months into the season, the East Noble Science Olympiad team is preparing for competitions.
Abbas M.
You compete in Invitationals. Then you move on into Regionals. From Regionals into State from State to Nationals. And, yeah, it's just like any other sport, just like any other club, you could fight in high school. Usually, it's only nerds in there. Usually because it's just studying, okay?
Kate M.
So for context, I spoke to most of this group in the weeks between their Regional competition and their State competition.
Abbas M.
Okay, so we got second, but I'm proud because see, this is not an individual kind of sport. Okay. You can't qualify alone. You have to do it as a team. All of you need to excel. And us competing against millionaire schools, and we're such a small school. Going and getting second is such an awesome honor for us. Okay, so States is in two weeks. And we're practicing right now. And everything is really getting into our heads because it's States it's a big deal.
Kate M.
Science Olympiad practice isn’t always just studying, though. Medyen from Palestine and Abbas from Lebanon have used this time to share about their homes and family lives with their teammates. These are conversations that can come up organically, and are influenced by US students who are just… curious about life outside of their country. Having AFS students in the classroom can just lend to these sorts of interactions.
Mark L.
Yes, actually, one of our Science Olympiad practices we just started asking questions. And it turned into Oh, this is how my culture does it. They talked about house, how their family all lives really close. And they spend a lot of time together. And they don't really move away from each other that much. So you might have like an apartment building and your grandparents would be either across the hall or above you or the share house. So they got into the kind of like that family unit structure.
They thought the dating scene was very entertaining for people in their community in the Middle East compared to the United States. So they would have to ask or introduce their date. So their whole family the first time they went out on a date, and kind of blown away about “Whoa, if we had to do that. I don't know if I'd ever invite my first date to meet my whole family. That'd be embarrassing.” So that was kind of a fun moment. And we didn't get a whole lot of work done for that 30, 40 minutes, but it was worth it.
Medyen J.
Everything of this teamwork, experience, these friends that you chat. We hang out after we're done from our practice. The teachers that are coaches Mr. Liepe and Mrs. Prater, we just you know, chat as friends.
Mark L.
I don't know if he knew what he was getting into. But he seems to enjoy it quite well.
Medyen J.
Well, Mr. Liepe is, to be honest, is more than a teacher or a coach is like a friend. He acts with integrity, responsible. You know, in classes, I have AP Bio with him and we I really enjoy his class. You know, we just learn about biology, we make jokes, we laugh, we study, and I really enjoy so much time with him.
Abbas M.
And I can safely tell you Science Olympiad is the best thing I've done in the US so far. And I met the people that I love in Science Olympiad. They're just my dearly loved ones that I will never forget. But Science Olympiad is such a bond between us. We're such a family.
Mark L.
And a lot of times trying to get the exchange students into social groups is kind of things I look at doing. And it's like, well, we get a lot of smart kids, they are usually the nice kids. So it's a good group to be in.
Kate M.
Since these interviews, the East Noble Science Olympiad team went on to place 9th of 30 schools at the Indiana State tournament. Last season they placed 11th. Abbas participated in Astronomy, Time, and Wi-Fi lab. Medyen participated in Bridge, Cell Biology, Dynamic Planet and Botany.
Kate M.
It really sounds like Science Olympiad has been a key part of these students' year in the United States. For two students already so interested in science, it’s not a huge surprise that they gravitated towards Science Olympiad. But Abbas’s favorite school subject ended up being something unexpected. When choosing his classes, he opted for AP English.
Abbas M.
What I what I asked for was, what's your hardest English class? I just watched it go for it. I was like, how hard could it be?
Kate M.
There were other options, like Creative Writing, Crimes and Mysteries, and AP Literature. However,
Abbas M.
I was like, nope, put me in AP English. And here I am.
Like, whoever tells you that they like school except me, they're probably lying. I'm not lying. I like school. But yeah, I walked into a class knowing that's just gonna be a random English class with random people a random teacher. Well, it came out to be my favorite class. It just happened to be.
The stuff that we learned in there, see, I'm a very abstract thinker. In AP English is the opposite of that. So putting myself in such a challenging situation, is really fun to do. Even though it gets stressful, it's still something fun and important one's life to do. So I'm sitting in a class where I learned to think in opposing ways of the way that I'm comfortable thinking, Because you're writing a rhetorical analysis, you don't get dreamy, and unrealistic and very abstract, you have to write what the author says and explain it in very precise objective works. That's something that's impossible for me to do, that I'm practicing in this class that I'm hoping to get better and better with until the AP test, hopefully, is a skill that I can keep with me.
Kate M.
Brandi Asher is Abbas’s AP English teacher. Not only has the content of the class encouraged him to think differently, but Brandi’s guidance has helped him turn into a stronger writer.
Brandi A.
Most of them have been, I guess, like Abbas is in my AP dual credit English class. It's a composition and language class. It's mostly comprised of 11th graders. And then I've had AFS students in like English 10 In the past, or in like one of my senior English classes, like creative writing, or American Lit.
Abbas M.
Okay, so, first, she knows what she's doing. That's something.
And she even knows more behind that stuff that we don't need to know. Only she knows. So she believes what she's teaching us is right. And we have our trust in her, okay?
And I trust her too, because I myself can see the improvement from I wrote a rhetorical essay as if it was a poem my first time! And my second time doing third time and fourth time, until now. And I'm becoming better even though it's a little bit slow. So yeah, I can see that improvement. I like working with her. She just, she's just awesome.
Brandi A.
We have had several presentations, which is it's Abbas's favorite thing to do in the entire world. He has taught us a lot about Lebanon.
We have heard a lot about the war. And it has just taught us to be grateful, you know, for the safety that we feel here. Because we haven't grown, you know, up in that same situation.
Even though my students have access to the internet, you know, they're always online in some way. They don't really know what's going on in the world, from like, the perspective of somebody who's actually lived somewhere else.
And so, you know, Abbas has taught us how his entire life his, you know, country has been at war, which is, you know, very eye opening for us, like, we're, it's just something we can't even really, truly comprehend.
In addition, the excitement that he brings, like to the classroom, like he has gotten involved in anything you could possibly get involved in. And so I think other students see somebody who comes to America and is excited to learn about America and wants to be in everything. And I think that has been really good for the other students to see somebody who's just so excited about everything over here.
Kate M.
And it seems like Abbas’s excitement and inquisitive spirit has influenced others in his class.
Brandi A.
I have so many smart students, but some of them are very reserved, and they aren't as like, willing to, to talk in class or to share things. And he has been so warm and welcoming, and just overall, like encouraging to everyone. And that has rubbed off on on some of the other students and I've gotten to know them, like because of him.
He asks people about themselves. He really cares about people and wants to, you know, if somebody doesn't seem like he or she's having a good day, then you know, Abbas is just, he's just warm. He's welcoming to everybody. And I think that that has brought a lot of students out of their shell.
Kate M.
One of Abbas’s favorite topics in AP English was The Great Gatsby. And this lead to an interesting conversation in the classroom about The American Dream.
Brandi A.
One of the things I- we- were talking about was the American Dream. And we were in the middle of a discussion and I said, “Whoa, timeout, Abbas. Is there a Lebanese dream?” And he said, “No, Asher, there is literally only the American Dream. Only in America are we important enough for a dream, you know?” And I was like, Oh my gosh, this is crazy. Because you know, I'm sure like, you think American Dream so you think every other country has its own version of the American Dream.
And so we're kind of looking at it as like, okay, in America? Yes, we do kind of act like we're better than a lot of people in that way. And then at the same time, we're looking at it the other way, like, Okay, we look at it, because we have so many opportunities here. And so it makes complete sense why so many people want to come to the United States, and they they have, you know, like this, I, you know, idea in their head of all that they can hopefully accomplish. And we have a lot of opportunities here in America that sometimes I think we take for granted, and we forget, you know, that not everybody has that. But yeah, that stood out to me as like, okay. It's just the American Dream.
Kate M.
So, East Noble welcomed in 2 AFS students this year. Medyen from Palestine and Abbas from Lebanon.
They have both gotten very involved in the school community and are active participants in many clubs and teams. They are soaking in the American High School culture, and are teaching their fellow students about places far from Kendallville, Indiana.
Mark L.
Um, I say this has been a good experience. So sometimes, since we're rural, just the, I don't know, the way the Middle East is portrayed in the United States. I think it's kind of open their eyes and say, well, these people are just like we are. They're just living in a different situation. And I think that's been the biggest plus. And they've been, it's been a very positive experience. It opens their eyes to things that they are not aware of. And I think that's one of our biggest gains is to see that things are not always like we think they are. And sometimes reality is very different.
Kate M.
I had a great time talking to Medyen, Abbas, Mark, and Brandi. Medyen and Abbas also had a lot more to say about their time in the US- their host families, their friends, and the whole application process to be part of the YES program. It was great to hear from such enthusiastic guests who are really living their exchange year to the fullest.
Abbas M.
Thank you so much. It was awesome meeting you too. It was such a fun experience. Have a really, really great day. I'm gonna go into practice right now and you enjoy whatever you're gonna do.
[Music]
Kate M.
So, now we’re headed west to Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington. Here, we’ll hear from Sai Charan Tharmani, an AFS YES student from India, and his teacher, Annie DeGroot. Annie DeGroot also participated in an AFS program in Argentina when she was in high school. Sai and Annie were interviewed by Sai’s classmate, Josie Jensen.
Josie J.
Hello, my name is Josie Jensen and I'm here with Sai Charan and Mrs. DeGroot and they're gonna be talking about the YES program and AFS and their experience in it as a student and a teacher. Okay, so Sai Charan would you like to introduce yourself?
Sai Charan T.
Sure. Thank you, Josie. So I'm trying to enter money I was placed in Seattle, Washington, and I'm from India and I currently am a YES program student now in the US.
Josie J.
Very cool. And how did you learn about the Youth Exchange study program?
Sai Charan T.
I get to know about the YES program because the school that I studied in India, so we have two of my seniors, they went on the YES program in 2019. So that's how I came to know.
And also with the local chapter in Hyderabad, so we have a director from AFS. So he had an initiative called Reach the Unreached. So with that program, he just expanded the YES program to all our region. So that's how I came to know.
Josie J.
Was there anything when you came here that surprise you or that was different than you what you expected?
Sai Charan T.
I would say the weather because I expected the Seattle's weather. I mean, for even though it's was fifth Northwest, I thought like it's just pleasant, but no, it's a little cold. And you know, and as I came here in August, so yeah, I had a little bit of sunshine.
Josie J.
Okay, what classes are you taking? And do you have a favorite class?
Sai Charan T.
Yeah, I have IB Math, and I have language arts, and history, and Spanish and drawing and painting and then I have a theory of knowledge. So if you could ask me like what's your favorite class so that'll be Theory of Knowledge class.
But it's a class where you talk to people, and it's a class of questions, not the answers, and some of the questions, you don't really have any answer, because it's a class where it improves your critical thinking skills and people skills, I would say.
Josie J.
Cool. And how is your current school? You talked about this a little bit, but how is it different from your school at home? Any other differences?
Sai Charan T.
Yeah, there's, there might be some big differences, though, when it comes to activities. So in my school, back in India, it's more like the academic. But here you have a lot more opportunities, like you can join clubs, and you can be part of the sports, again, from sports, and you can do whatever you want to do. And the teachers are always encouraging you and they'll help you in everything that you needed to do. And, yeah, it's that's how the major difference is like, it's more activity based.
Josie J.
Interesting. And so, yeah, post AFS. So after you go back to India, what are your plans for next year?
Sai Charan T.
The very first thing that I do when I was officially announced as an alumni for the YES program, and AFS, I'll join as a volunteer in the in my local chapter and in the YES Alumni Association, and we'll execute our plan that what we have planned during our exchange here and even before that. I want to expand the program a little more in my region.
Josie J.
Very cool. Okay, and now we're gonna move to Mrs. DeGroot. So would you like to say a little bit about who you are and what you do here at Rainier Beach?
Annie D.
Hello, I'm Annie DeGroot. I am an Academic Interventionist here at Rainier Beach. I also teach two sections of Theory of Knowledge.
Josie J.
Okay, and did you participate in an exchange program at any point in life?
Annie D.
Yes, I actually did AFS myself. So I did an AFS program between my sophomore and junior year of high school, it was just for the summer. So it was a little different than the year-long programs. But basically, I was in Mendoza, Argentina for the summer. And instead of going to school during the day, we did community service. And then I lived with a host family. And so yeah, I did that. And I did a couple other shorter exchange programs too, but that was the main longer AFS program that I did.
Josie J.
Very cool. And so what would you say life is like for students here at Rainier Beach and more broadly, like in Seattle, Washington?
Annie D.
I mean, I think I think our school is. I mean, we're unique in Seattle, I think because we are a smaller high school. So I think that gives us a little more uniqueness. I think the teachers here also because we are a smaller school, we're pretty close knit where, you know, we know each other a lot of people have been here for a really long time. And there's definitely like a big sense of community and pride, I think in this school. So I think that that is what makes Rainier Beach stand out.
Josie J.
Cool. And have you taught AFS students in the classroom? I mean, obviously, how because you size in your class. And so have you noticed that is different than teaching students who have been like born and raised here?
Annie D.
Actually, Sai Charan is the only… AFS? No, actually, I had other AFS students in my other school. I would say generally, AFS students or exchange students in general, are different because at first, when they get here, they're not as comfortable. So they're more quiet. I've definitely seen that in the past. But as the year progresses, their personalities come out more. And they're really not. Not very different from any, any other students sometimes. You know, academics in other countries are different than they are in the US, they might not do as many projects. In some countries, they focus on like memorization and rote learning more. So that could be a big difference. When kids come here, they think our style of learning is loosey goosey. Not structured enough. But I think that most students can adapt to that pretty well.
Josie J.
All right, and how have AFS students had a positive impact on your school and community?
Annie D.
Well, Sai Charan positively impacts our school every single day. But definitely in class, he brings a very unique perspective, we do a lot of discussions. So coming from, you know, different culture we were just talking today about he comes from a culture that values family more strongly than we do in the United States. You know, valuing society above self, topics like that. I think it's just really great to have someone who comes from a different culture in our classroom. We do have students who come from a lot of different cultures, but we don't have any other Indian students at this school. It's great to get that perspective in the classroom and get his perspective on conversations has been really, really valuable.
Kate M.
That was Sai Charan Tharmani and Annie DeGroot in Seattle, Washington.
[Music]
Kate M.
Well, thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill.
Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well! Season 2 of the AFS exchange will bring you conversations with hosted students, educators, host families, volunteers, and more. We’ve got another episode coming out next month.
This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball. Special thanks to Jill Woerner, Nancy Studwell, and Josie Jensen.