I'd like to nominate my daughter, Sanita Bordeepong as the AYUSA Star of the Month. Sanita, or "GiNG" as we know her, joined our family in August for her academic year in America. There are so many things that make GiNG special and it's hard to describe how much she means to our family. GiNG came to the United States with an open mind, an open heart and a genuine desire to succeed. In her first six months of the program, she has embraced the American culture, maintained straight A's in each of her classes and established herself as a mature and responsible teenager.
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We have been most impressed by GiNG's warm heart and willingness to help others. On her flight to America in August, GiNG helped another exchange student locate a lost passport at the airport in Tokyo. She has also made time on several occasions to lend an ear and offer advice to friends from both AYUSA and other programs who are experiencing home sickness or difficulties with their host families. GiNG consistently displays a positive attitude and openly communicates any concerns that arise.
GiNG has also experienced great success at school and is well known and liked by both students and faculty. For International Education Week, she prepared an extensive presentation on her home country of Thailand which focused not only on the important features of the country, but also life as a teenager in Thailand - from school uniforms to favorite hang out spots.
We hope this year abroad will teach GiNG more about herself as a person and help her to develop the skills she needs for a successful future. Having GiNG as a member of our family has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives and has created memories that we hope will last forever.
Brent & Apisara Houltram
Schaumburg, IL
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Too much expectation often brings students down when they find out that the situation isn't like they thought. I could barely bear the disappointment when I found the truth that Syracuse, KS is so small (approximately 1800 people). It was a huge shock for a person that has lived in a big city for 15 years. I eventually overcame the difficulty and discovered good things about small towns. I found out that determination and patience are needed to solve every problem, and they sure helped me through any kind of problem while I was in the U.S. Life in the U.S. is very exciting for me because there were always new challenges. Every day is a whole new experience and every challenge is different from the previous one. I had many precious and unforgettable experiences during the year.
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Maria undertook this stressful endeavor, seeking guidance from peers, assistance from her host family, and researching the internet to learn the "how to's" of pageantry. After all, she had no idea what a pageant was really all about. Nonetheless, Maria set out to choose the perfect evening gown and sportswear and was fortunate enough to find the perfect gown at the first shop she visited despite her 5 ft. 11 in. frame. The sportswear seemed easy to come by also. But there was just one more item: an outfit for the opening number - one that would fit the Saturday Night Fever theme. With some creativity and a handy jumpsuit she brought with her from Sweden, Maria crafted an easy, inexpensive, but eye-catching outfit.
Finally, the time arrived for conceivably the greatest challenge of all: the on-stage question presented to seniors only. Her question? "If you could spend one day with anyone, who would it be and what would you hope to gain from it?". Does it sound hard? It did not appear that way to Maria. Without missing a beat, she chose her deceased Grandmother and explained their closeness, lessons she learned from her, and how she wished she could gain more wisdom from her, and have just one more day of her love". Goodness. Were there a few tears in the room? You bet!
