Secretary of State Clinton Addresses YES Students

Ayusa's 2009-2010 Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) students were addressed by Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, on June 16, 2010 at the Department of State.

Secretary Clinton spoke to the diversity of humankind and our need to find common ground. She recgonized the impact that students have had on their host families, communities, and on the United States as a country as a result of sharing their culture and engaging in dialogoue to better understand one another. 

"And part of what I really believe, as I work on difficult problems around the world, is if we can get people to start looking at each other with mutual respect, with a mutual awareness that we do have so much more in common, treating someone as you would wish to be treated, not as the other but as a fellow human being, it’s not going to solve all the problems but it creates a more – more possibilities that we can find some common ground. And I hope that each of you goes back home with the idea that even in your families, your neighborhoods, your communities, there’s – there are opportunities for trying to find those commonalities, for bringing people together, seeking that common ground.

And I hope that you’ll have the chance to influence the course of events in your own countries. As you continue your education, as you think about what your passions are, as you build families, begin work, engage in all kinds of activities that will build a stronger future for your own people."

Watch Secretary Clinton's powerful remarks here.

Read the full address here.