Anisha traveled from India to North Carolina through the YES (Youth Exchange and Study) Program — a full-ride, merit-based scholarship earned after a year-long selection process that saw only 30 students chosen from her entire country.
In this episode, she opens up about the emotional moment she found out she’d been accepted, the family and teachers who rallied behind her, and how she went from being a self-described picky eater to a self-proclaimed “shrimp monster.”
Anisha also shares how she embraced brand-new electives like piano, video design, and 3D printing/engineering, gave back to her host community through volunteering, and built an unbreakable bond with a host family she met just days before arriving. She closes with heartfelt advice for future exchange students: never doubt your worth.