BY LAURA WEINER
Clarkston News Intern
Mallory Morell, a Clarkston High School student, seems like your everyday teenager, going to practice after school, shopping for the perfect prom dress and preparing for the summer ahead. But Mallory is about to embark on an adventure that is anything but typical. She will travel with Youth For Understanding, a non-profit study-abroad program, this August.
YFU started right here in Michigan. In 1951, 75 German teens were selected by the Army of the Occupation to come live in the United States with Americans for a year. Detroit area residents and religious groups placed students in homes, beginning a tradition that still exists today.
YFU is a program that allows students to go to school in one of 35 different countries. The move is for either one semester, or one year, depending on the student’s preference. The opportunity is available to students ages 15-18, even those who have graduated, as colleges will usually defer enrollment for a year.
Participants can either pay a set price, depending on the country they are traveling to, or the cost of the trip is covered with a scholarship from one of the many corporate donors, as well as donations from private individuals. According to Mary Alvy, a representative from YFU, about half of the 525 students that are participating this year got scholarships. Although she says that number varies year to year, most of the time 1/3 to 1/2 of students get their trips covered by scholarships. Scholarships opportunities are posted online at YFU’s website. They normally require a student to have a 2.0 or 3.0 GPA.
Mallory Morell was thrilled when she got her scholarship from sponsors in the Ann Arbor area. ‘I went to Germany before, and I really liked it, enough that I wanted to do it again,? she said. So much so that she is now signed up to go to Ecuador in August for a year.
One year in a far away land may frighten most, but it excites Mallory, ‘Sure I get homesick, but I mean, you’re away, you keep busy,? she says.’I play my viola, make friends, hang out, do stuff I do here. It is definitely different, a different culture and stuff, and you live with a host family.? Host families give a student a way to learn that is much different than in a classroom. These families are just one of the great educational rewards one can receive while traveling with YFU.
To find out more details about YFU, go to www.yfuusa.org.