Dreaming of Studying Abroad in Thailand

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to visit my page.

I am currently a sophomore in high school, and I'm hoping to study abroad my junior year. I have always dreamed of traveling the world, but I thought it was a dream of the distant future. I never realized I could travel and experience the world so early in my life. I have applied to study abroad in Thailand, Malaysia, or India. I love learning new and challenging languages. I am always impressed when people are bilingual. I hope to become fluent in a foreign language after studying abroad. Overall, I am an extremely passionate and ambitious student hoping to achieve a dream.

I am hoping to embark on the journey of a lifetime; studying abroad for 1 year in a foreign country. I will be participating in the AFS-USA high school program. AFS-USA has a goal of a more just and peaceful world. They hope to acheive this by providing international and intercultural learning experiences. (learn more about AFS-USA by visiting their page at http://www.afsusa.org) I do not know the specific country I will be traveling to (my top 3 choices are Thailand, Malaysia, and India), but the tuition has already been given a number; $15,000! I firmly believe in not letting money hold me back from my dreams, but I can't pay this tuition all on my own. . .that's why I'm asking for your help. Please help make my dream a reality! Thank you for your support.  (P.S. In the picture I'm in the upper left corner in a green shirt)

All donations will be put toward my the program tuition, which includes international airfare, medical insurance, student visa, and domestic traveling.

The entire tuition payment is due by June 29, 2014 (my birthday)

How does studying abroad impact others?
 
  Intercultural learning has a significant impact on people's view of the world and other countries. For instance, before an individual studies abroad their perspective of the world is clouded with stereotypes, assumptions, and false representation of different countries. After the individual's experience their eyes will be open to the world around them; the stereotypes, assumptions, and misconceptions will vanish. Studying abroad offers the opportunity to learn about different cultures first-hand. As Albert Einstein once said "the only source of knowledge is experience." The foreign exchange students will return and share their endless knowledge about the world. This will result in people being more educated about the world. There will be a domino effect of information being passed from person to person. Knowledge is power, and knowledge will bring peace. I plan to help my community by sharing my new found knowledge. I will share my stories and experiences with others. I will teach people about different cultures. I will abolish the stereotypes and misconceptions people have about foreign countries. Knowledge is the key to a peaceful world. I plan to start a blog while I am studying abroad. I will post daily on it and share my experiences with others. The purpose of the blog is to document information about a foreign country and allow the public to learn more about the specific country. Overall, in order to have a peaceful world there has to be a mutual understanding of each other's cultural differences. I would like provide individuals with the opportunity to learn about a foreign country, and help my community towards a brighter future.

I've also created a facebook page to keep everyone updated on my latest fundraising activities. Check it out---> https://www.facebook.com/studyabroadtuition