FLEX Student of the Month — September 2013

Turan, a CIEE student from Azerbaijan, is described by host family and friends as a “future leader and a great ambassador for her country.” The exchange year has just begun and Turan is already involved in several school and community activities. She is a member of the volleyball team, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and the International Club at her host school. 

 

Turan has a courageous attitude and readily tries new activities.  She recently auditioned for a part in the local community theatre production of “Frosty the Snowman,” started taking hip hop dance lessons with her younger host brother and joined her host family church choir.

 

Most of the people Turan meets cannot pronounce Azerbaijan correctly and have no idea where it’s located. She patiently helps them pronounce it and then shares interesting facts such as “It has the world’s largest KFC” and “Baku sits along the Caspian Sea.” Turan is also a strong supporter of exchange programs, at a recent speaking engagement she explained to the audience how much the FLEX program and other exchange programs mean to international exchange students, and then she asked them to consider becoming a host family. Turan impressively represents the FLEX program and Azerbaijan.

 

Congratulations, Turan!