Santiago studies in America
By Mark Robert Benson Baldo

PASSING THE AMERICAN Field Service (AFS)-Partners of Learning Youth Exchange Program screening and evaluation, Ryan Trinidad Santiago, The Makati Science Vision special correspondent in the United States, obtained a one-year scholarship grant from the AFS Intercultural Programs Philippines.

One of the 40 scholars who were chosen among 80 short-listed national applicants, Santiago now lives with his host

family in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and studies in the Devils Lake High School as a Grade 11 student for one year.

Sponsored by the US Department of State Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Santiago will serve as an ambassador of goodwill to peoples of different races, cultures, and traditions and will guide, inspire, and motivate them to appreciate the country and its people and to promote better international understanding in today’s diverse global village.

“I may be a school year behind my Filipino batch mates in the Philippines, but with this experience, I can say that being late for a school year is worth it,” Santiago wrote in his letter to his family.

Sending 10 000 scholars each year, the AFS seeks to affirm faith in the worth and in the dignity of every human being and encourages respect for human rights without distinction to sex, race, religion, language, or social status.

Started in 1919, the AFS intercultural program offers university study, high school exchange program, and volunteer community service.