The merit-based scholarship covers the full cost of an academic year abroad, providing Anneliese a full academic and cultural immersion experience, and helping her develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community.
Through Anneliese’s participation in the YES Abroad program, she will be at the forefront of citizen diplomacy, serving as a “youth ambassador” in her host country, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and deepening trust by building lasting relationships with her host family and peers, and engaging in volunteer service and leadership training to help her host community. Through the YES Abroad experience, Anneliese will develop the skills to share American values, find new ways for America to compete effectively in the global marketplace, and contribute to a more peaceful world.
The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by Congress in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as an effort to increase dialogue and mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of countries with significant Muslim populations. Initially created as a program for international high school students to live and study in the United States, the YES program was expanded in 2009 to include YES Abroad for American high school students to study overseas. For the 2022-2023 academic year, YES Abroad provides opportunities for Americans to study for one academic year in 12 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, North Macedonia, Senegal, Thailand, and Turkey.
Upon her return from Bosnia in summer 2023, Anneliese will attend University of California, Berkeley, and has an approved deferral by the university for the 2022-2023 school year to participate in the YES Abroad program. Anneliese lives in Palmdale with her parents Bruce and Nancy, sister Emma, and three dogs.
The YES Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.yes-abroad.org.
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Anneliese says
Hi Mike!
My parents had the exact same concerns you are voicing in this comment. I applied for this program of my own volition with wavering support from my family. When I received my acceptance letter, my parents were very unsure about my safety in the country and the region.
Call me a naïve 17 year old girl, but you can change “What are these parents thinking?” to “What is this girl thinking?” And I’d love to answer that question, seriously! It’s all part of why I’m in this program— one of its pillars is to increase cultural understanding between the US and the host country— in this case, Bosnia. So here’s my answer to your question, and although it may not change your mind, I hope it can give a little more clarity behind my thought process and my conviction for studying in Bosnia.
– The Bosnian War may occur again, although doubtfully in the recent future. The Republika Srspka, a Serb autonomous region in Bosnia, has threatened secession over and over again. The truth is, they don’t have the resources, and support for them is wavering. Their secession would be the main cause of another war breaking out. Although, of course, tensions still remain. It would be stupid to ignore that. Again, though, intercultural peace is a pillar of the program I’m in.
– There is no terrorist activity in Bosnia, but you are correct, there are 80,000 land mines. If it’s out of concern for my safety, there are no land mines near my school or house. When the State Department placed me, they accounted for that. But you are correct, it is still an issue for the whole country, and several deaths occur each year because of land mines.
– The Balkans are notorious for being a complicated region, but none of those countries have ever been under Soviet rule. Yugoslavia =/= Soviet Union, even though they were both Communist. Russia’s goal, as I’m sure you know, is to take back former Soviet Union countries. As for taking Russia as an inspiration to start more wars, look back at what I’ve said about Republika Srpska. The region’s threat of secession has been occurring much longer than Russia has been attacking Ukraine.
– As for the Balkans, their major issue caused by the invasion of Ukraine is their rush to join NATO/EU to be under their protection in case something happens. Bosnia is about to join the EU.
– Personally, I would be way more concerned about someone nuking the US than someone nuking Sarajevo. But really that’s a personal opinion. You can disagree.
– And to wrap it all up, the scholarship I’m on is run by the US State Department. I have free health insurance through them if something were to happen to me. They are also very good at evacuating people. Take the recent example of their COVID evacuations of American exchange students on this program. In less than three days, all students were returned safely home, even though they faced issues with cancelled flights and border closures. So if the State Department, at any moment, deems Bosnia completely unsafe, we would be evacuated quickly.
So I hope this answered your concerns and I hope it helped give you a glimpse of my reasoning. Bosnia has a lot of issues, but so does the US. Neither country is dangerous enough to avoid completely.
KayDee says
Analise, you are a brilliant and knowledeable young lady. I learned alot from reading your comment alone. It is very easy to see why you were chosen for this competitive award. I am proud that you will be representing the USA and my city of Palmdale. Your parents much so proud. I’m looking forward to reading more great things about you in the future, then I can say I remember when you were just a wee 17 y/0 looking forward to studying abroad. lol Congratulations on your wonderful accomplishment, great job!!
Tim Scott says
Congratulations Anneliese!!!
It’s probably not worth arguing with Mike. His ideas are rooted in his having used nepotism to push his kids into “following his footsteps” and an overstated “family fortune” to be left to those who toe the line and pretend to respect him. The thought of any child expanding their horizons beyond the view of a parent scares him silly, because he lives in fear of it happening with his own kids. There are a lot of people like him, and it’s best just to do what you can to help the kids that are unlucky enough to be stuck with them as parents.
Keep setting a good example, by living your life to the fullest.
A quote to take with you:
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” – Henry Ford
Mike says
Good for you Annelise. Do what your heart tells you to do. Hopefully your parents get to see you come home.
With regard to terrorism, the State Departments website clearly states terrorism attacks continue to happen in tourist locations and populated areas. You may wish to check your sources.
Your assessment of the US being nuked before the Baltic region is way off base and many military analysts would disagree with you. In fact, Putin has recently threatened strategic nuclear strikes and has mobilized his nuclear assets. While Bosnia would not be a target, it would certainly suffer the immediate effects of nuclear fallout in the region.
Lastly, the State Department has a miserable track record for evacuating US citizens and personnel from regions in crisis. Just research Benghazi and Afghanistan, two of the most recent State Department failures that resulted in the deaths of US citizens.
Congratulations on your scholarship. Keep up the hard work and may you be safe in your journey. Tim Scott is a convicted felon and not someone you should be taking advice from, so treat his comments with due regard.
Donna says
Congratulations hun, what a wonderful experience for you!
Mike says
Why would any responsible parent let their child study in Bosnia? Did they forget about the ethnic war that raged there in the 90’s? Are they aware that terrorist activity exists in the region, along with land mines and residual violence over the same issues that started the war? Let’s not forget the country is smack dab in the center of other countries who are currently mobilizing their military defenses due to the escalating war in the Ukraine against Russia. That part of the world has a high potential of going nuclear at any moment. What are these parents thinking?