SULU – Five Muslim high school students who were chosen from among 800 applicants to represent the Philippines as ambassadors of goodwill by the U.S.-funded AFS Intercultural Programs of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program paid a courtesy call Thursday on Sulu Governor Totoh Tan in Patikul town.
The students – Fatima Yazreen Taji and Fairus Yaqueen Sampang, from the Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls; Insih Ruiana Ahmad and Al-Khamer Silungan, from the Sulu State College-Laboratory High School; and Mohammad Adzlan Usman from Mindanao State University High School – were accompanied by Professor Abraham Pelayo, of the Sulu State College.
Gov. Tan also had a talk with the students and encouraged and motivated them well to study hard and attain the goals in life and be a future and responsible leader. His father, former Sulu Vice Governor Sakur Tan, an influential and respected political leader in Mindanao, also met with the students and gave a similar talk and shared his words of wisdom.
The governor – whose education program for the poor has helped a lot of students and out-of-school youth – also provided the students with financial assistance to augment most of their needs. The five students thanked the governor for his generosity and kind heart and told him that “he shall be with us – in our heart and mind – in our journey to widen our knowledge and fulfil our dreams and be Sulu’s pride as well.”
AFS is an international, volunteer-based, non-profit, non-governmental, non-religious organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
It enables people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding in a diverse world. AFS seeks to affirm faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures. It encourages respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or social status.
AFS activities are based on our core values of dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance. It is the implementing organization of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program and sponsored by the Bureau of Education Affairs to provide scholarship to deserving high school students from countries with significant Muslim population for one academic school year in the United States. (Ahl-franzie Salinas)
Like Us on Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/mindanaoexaminer
Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindanaoExamine
Read Our News on: http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com / http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/
Share Our News
Digital Archives: issuu.com/mindanaoexaminernewspaper
20
