L-W East Student Awarded US Dept. of State YES Abroad Scholarship

Emily Rodriguez, Lincoln-Way East High School, has been awarded a U.S. Department of State YES Abroad Scholarship to study in Indonesia for a year.

The 17-year-old from Frankfort is spending her senior year of high school as one of the 65 scholarship recipients in the country to study abroad on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program.

The program is a highly competitive merit-based award that covers the $16,000 cost of an academic year abroad, providing student winners a full immersion experience.

Rodriguez is living with a host family in Indonesia, attending an Indonesian high school, and helping to develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community, according to a press release.  

"Emily is a strong individual. She has a strong focus on education and sets high goals for herself," said her father Carlos Rodriguez.

While attending Lincoln-Way East, Rodriguez participated in AFJROTC, and was a member of Pi Sigma Pi (social science honorary), Junior States of America, Book Club and Paws Cause.

"We are proud of Emily's accomplishments. Through her participation in this student exchange program, she will be involved with citizen diplomacy, serving as a youth ambassador and helping to promote mutual understanding in another part of our world," said Sharon Michalak, principal of Lincoln-Way East.

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, as an effort to increase dialogue and understanding between the U.S. and 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 2007 to include YES Abroad for American high school students.

READ the full story on the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 website.