The first stop on our Cultural Immersion Workshop was the beautiful country of Georgia. The countryside and culture were amazing however visiting alumni students during our time there was the highlight of our trip. My time in Georgia was bittersweet in that I didn't have any Georgian students from my own cluster. I have though gotten to know some alumni through other clusters from required meetings, such as midterm and reentry. One in particular was Shota Buadze (2011-2012, Georgia/Visalia, CA). I sat down and had good conversation with Shota. He explained to me what being an exchange student did for him and how it has changed his life. This is Shota's unique story:
Shota didn't know what to expect upon his arrival but all of his fears were eased as he got off of the plane and saw his host family standing in the airport with balloons and a welcome sign reading "Welcome Shotiko". During his stay in America he joined FFA. He took a specialty animals class and chose to be on the school FFA team. His team won 6th place in the state of California. Shota completed over 100 hours of community service while receiving straight A's in all of his subjects, two of those being AP in Anatomy and Physiology. Shota had many dreams and aspirations for his life, one of those was him becoming a doctor. It was through his favorite community service activity- getting up at 5am every Wednesday to go work in the Veteran's Affairs Hospital that he decided he truly did want to become a doctor.
His first year home in Georgia was a very busy time, he tested and received a 100% scholarship to Tbilisi State Medical University while also participating in alumni projects. He attended a leadership conference and continued to volunteer more with FLEX. He was also a translator for three months for local people in need.
Now, Shota is in his 2nd year of Medical school. His plans are to become an Orthopedic-Trauma surgeon. He is volunteering many hours at his local hospital and serves on duty every 4th day. He feels that his job is in service and he is starting it now.
Shota shared with me how proud and happy he was to be in Washington DC at the 20th Anniversary of FLEX. He felt like he was part of a huge organization that would change the face of our world. Shota explained that when he arrived in USA he was a child, when he left for the re-entry in Washington DC, he was returning to home an experienced person and his life was changed.
Furthermore Shota shared with me how World Link's visit to Georgia was the highlight of his year. He has always wanted his American friends or family to come and visit and was touched that his World Link family was there. He was very eager to share his accomplishments and what his future is going to bring. He credits his exchange year for his drive and inspiration.
I enjoyed the time I had with Shota. This was truly an honor to see how our program, host family and coordinators can positively influence these young lives.
Written by Tina Maestas; Local Coordinator, Bakersfield, CA.
Shota didn't know what to expect upon his arrival but all of his fears were eased as he got off of the plane and saw his host family standing in the airport with balloons and a welcome sign reading "Welcome Shotiko". During his stay in America he joined FFA. He took a specialty animals class and chose to be on the school FFA team. His team won 6th place in the state of California. Shota completed over 100 hours of community service while receiving straight A's in all of his subjects, two of those being AP in Anatomy and Physiology. Shota had many dreams and aspirations for his life, one of those was him becoming a doctor. It was through his favorite community service activity- getting up at 5am every Wednesday to go work in the Veteran's Affairs Hospital that he decided he truly did want to become a doctor.
His first year home in Georgia was a very busy time, he tested and received a 100% scholarship to Tbilisi State Medical University while also participating in alumni projects. He attended a leadership conference and continued to volunteer more with FLEX. He was also a translator for three months for local people in need.
Now, Shota is in his 2nd year of Medical school. His plans are to become an Orthopedic-Trauma surgeon. He is volunteering many hours at his local hospital and serves on duty every 4th day. He feels that his job is in service and he is starting it now.
Shota shared with me how proud and happy he was to be in Washington DC at the 20th Anniversary of FLEX. He felt like he was part of a huge organization that would change the face of our world. Shota explained that when he arrived in USA he was a child, when he left for the re-entry in Washington DC, he was returning to home an experienced person and his life was changed.
Furthermore Shota shared with me how World Link's visit to Georgia was the highlight of his year. He has always wanted his American friends or family to come and visit and was touched that his World Link family was there. He was very eager to share his accomplishments and what his future is going to bring. He credits his exchange year for his drive and inspiration.
I enjoyed the time I had with Shota. This was truly an honor to see how our program, host family and coordinators can positively influence these young lives.
Written by Tina Maestas; Local Coordinator, Bakersfield, CA.