Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel congratulated Irvington High School student Bashayer Al-Mulla, who is receiving one of 35 Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Scholarships allowing her to attend a year of high school in Thailand. The program is administered by AFS-USA, a non-profit organization who sponsors international student exchanges to foster cultural understanding.

The YES program is in its inaugural year and covers the full tuition costs to participate in an academic exchange year. Al-Mulla will live with a Thai family and attend a high school there for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The Federal government sponsors this program to encourage global youth exchange. The goal of the YES scholarship, authorized by Congress in the aftermath of 9/11, is to build bridges of international understanding between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations.

“This program, and others like it, is an imperative in today’s world. It is beneficial to the United States to reach out to parts of the world that have a misunderstanding as to what America is all about. How better accomplish this than to have our children meet others, and help the next generation move past the conflicts which have plagued our generation. I congratulate Bashayer and I wish her well in her academic adventure. These youthful ambassadors can accomplish so much while learning even more,” said Rep. Engel.