Three Lawrence kids participated in student ambassador program this summer
By Rosalie Ann LaGrutta, Staff Writer
School may be back in session, but Nyya Tousaint, Phoebe Unetic and Kamaron McNair still can’t stop talking about a worldly trip they took this summer.
The three students — Nyya and Phoebe of Lawrence Middle School, Kamaron, of Lawrence Intermediate — were accepted to join People to People’s student ambassador program, where members get to visit foreign countries and learn about different cultures, while being representatives of the United States.
The People to People program was started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. The goal was to enable people of different nations to communicate directly and find a way to live in peace.
Twelve-year-olds Nyya, of Fountayne Lane, and Phoebe, of Titus Avenue, and 11-year-old Kamaron, of Darrah Lane East, each had to submit an essay on one of the countries they were going to see and produce three letters of recommendation. After application materials were reviewed, students were contacted for an interview. Those accepted for the program had to attend orientation meetings, and do community service, such as working in a soup kitchen and beach cleanups.
Parents had to prepare, as well. They attended a two-hour meeting once a month between January and July to familiarize themselves with the program.
In total, out of over 400 applicants, “about 40 students were prepared to make the trip,” Nyya said, “but four backed out and so 36 kids went to Europe along with four delegation leaders, one delegation manager and the coach driver.”
If any of the three Lawrence students felt anxiety about the trip, they didn’t mention it. The parents, however, had some initial reservations about having their children leave for the nearly three-week journey. Still, each expressed pride and confidence in their young student ambassador.
”Although I was very nervous about Nyya making this trip, I am very proud of him,” said Joie Tousaint, Nyya’s mother.
”Phoebe’s mother and I have a lot of confidence in Phoebe, because she has been away from home before, but we did want her to call more often,” said Phil Unetic, Phoebe’s father.
”I had every confidence in her. I knew she would obey the rules, be safe, and learn a lot. She’s a responsible kid,” said Karla McNair, Kamaron’s mother.
Students and parents were given the option of paying for the $6,000 trip themselves or by having the children raise the money by asking for donations via letters that explained the program and fundraisers.
Nyya sent out a letter giving the history of the program. It went to friends and family members, basically “every family member we could think of,” said his mother. From it, as well as several fundraisers, Nyya raised $5,800.
Kamaron said that by sending out letters to family and church members, she was able to raise “at least $2,500.”
In total, the student ambassadors visited Paris; Brussels; London, Warwick and Chester, England; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Dublin, Ireland; and Wales. They visited the Eiffel Tower, learned how Belgium chocolate is made, witnessed the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace and even got to talk with a member of Parliament.
The students each spoke of favorite countries with memorable sites. Nyya and Phoebe said Ireland was their favorite country, “because it was beautiful and the people were very nice.”
Nyya added, “it looked very clean and had big houses with farms and animals like sheep, horses and cows.”
Nyya was recently informed he had been nominated for Student Ambassador of the Year by leaders of his delegation.
Kamaron’s favorite country was Wales, but she said, “Ireland and Wales are equally beautiful and had lots of hills. Not city-like.”
”In Ireland,” said Phoebe, “we went to Avon Ri and slept in tents outside. It was really an activities place that offered archery, team-building skills and kayaking. But it was very muddy.”
While there was much fun to be had on the multicountry excursion, all three students said the journey was, at its core, an educational experience. The trip gave them the chance to learn about different people and different cultures and helped develop an understanding of what it’s like to live in different places.
And will there be another Student Ambassador trip in their futures? All three gave an emphatic “yes,” and are already looking forward to next year.
For more information on the People to People program and how to nominate a student for Student Ambassador, visit its Web site at www.studentambassador.org.