More than two dozen high schoolers from far away places are here on U.S. soil for the first time, all thanks to an annual exchange program hosted by nonprofit PH International.”I was star-struck when I found out I was accepted,” said Fiji native Mikel Fareed. “I can’t believe I’m here.”These teenagers from the Philippines, Fiji and the Pacific Islands are matched up with a host family in Vermont for the next few weeks. They will have the opportunity to see U.S. cities and learn more about American customs.”It is amazing how our host families didn’t hesitate to take us in, and I think it takes so much courage to just welcome strangers into your home, much less show them how Americans live daily,” said Philippines native Lyka Barauntong.It took longer than usual to get them here this year. In April, the Trump administration stopped the flow of funding needed to run the program. Additionally, a travel ban was placed on Burma (Myanmar), keeping many students from participating at all. That is something organizers hope is not a factor next spring.”If one of the countries we work with, Burma, isn’t able to come, we can welcome more students from the Philippines and Pacific Islands to make up for it,” said international exchange manager Drew Diemar. “We didn’t have the time for it this year, which is why we have a smaller group than we were hoping for.”For those who could not make the trip this year, they are squeezing in everything they can, from seeing the Boston and New York skylines to getting VIP access to our own NBC5 studio. Students got to see themselves on the big screen in the Weather Center, pose for pictures behind the wheel of the First Warning Weather Lab, and meet the faces of our newsroom. All just one stop in a packed itinerary for their once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”The moment I got here to Vermont, I just felt this urge to try out new things and explore. Especially the food, the people, and the places,” said Barauntong.PH International hopes that next year, the program will run as it normally does, and they will be able to welcome dozens more in the spring.
More than two dozen high schoolers from far away places are here on U.S. soil for the first time, all thanks to an annual exchange program hosted by nonprofit PH International.
“I was star-struck when I found out I was accepted,” said Fiji native Mikel Fareed. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
These teenagers from the Philippines, Fiji and the Pacific Islands are matched up with a host family in Vermont for the next few weeks. They will have the opportunity to see U.S. cities and learn more about American customs.
“It is amazing how our host families didn’t hesitate to take us in, and I think it takes so much courage to just welcome strangers into your home, much less show them how Americans live daily,” said Philippines native Lyka Barauntong.
It took longer than usual to get them here this year. In April, the Trump administration stopped the flow of funding needed to run the program. Additionally, a travel ban was placed on Burma (Myanmar), keeping many students from participating at all. That is something organizers hope is not a factor next spring.
“If one of the countries we work with, Burma, isn’t able to come, we can welcome more students from the Philippines and Pacific Islands to make up for it,” said international exchange manager Drew Diemar. “We didn’t have the time for it this year, which is why we have a smaller group than we were hoping for.”
For those who could not make the trip this year, they are squeezing in everything they can, from seeing the Boston and New York skylines to getting VIP access to our own NBC5 studio. Students got to see themselves on the big screen in the Weather Center, pose for pictures behind the wheel of the First Warning Weather Lab, and meet the faces of our newsroom. All just one stop in a packed itinerary for their once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
“The moment I got here to Vermont, I just felt this urge to try out new things and explore. Especially the food, the people, and the places,” said Barauntong.
PH International hopes that next year, the program will run as it normally does, and they will be able to welcome dozens more in the spring.
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