Since arriving in the United States, Laura has developed a strong bond with both her host family and her local community. Laura’s host mother raves about the way Laura enthusiastically shares her Armenian culture with her host family. “To say Laura has been a treasure to host is an understatement. She felt like family within days of coming into our home. My 7-year-old son adores her, and my 16-year-old daughter has found a sister and best friend for life,” says Laura’s host mom. Laura has also helped her host sister, who is an adopted child of Armenian heritage, learn about Armenia and its culture through the eyes of a young girl her same age.
Laura has undertaken an impressive workload at school – maintaining perfect grades while taking honors courses and insisting on extra credit. She has joined the tennis team and yearbook club as a photographer and received an award for participating in a Martin Luther King essay contest where only five students were chosen to participate.
Laura has completed 64 hours of community service and is working towards her goal of completing over 100 hours. She mostly volunteers at a local volunteer-based thrift store, where she often spends her Saturdays with her host sister, in addition to the public library and the nursery at her host family’s church. Together with fellow students, she is also running a campaign to collect donations from local businesses to help the school.
The host family and her local coordinator praise Laura for her determination to succeed, but above all for her kindness and joyfulness. Her host mom shares how much they appreciate Laura’s role in teaching them about Armenian culture and cuisine. Laura surprised her host family with gata, their favorite dessert from Armenia, by getting the recipe from her natural mom, who is a baker, and then baked it for her host family.
Congrats Laura!
