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Jihad Hajjouji, Morocco

When Jihad Hajjouji was selected for the AYUSA Youth Global Exchange program to build bridges between American and Arab communities, she had a big job ahead of her. But in her new life at Upattinas High School in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, Jihad finally had the opportunity to do what she loves most: sharing her “Muslim, Arabic, Moroccan, African” culture and learning about that of her peers around the world.

Reaching out to others is not new to Jihad – or "Jiji", as her peers and teachers now fondly call her. In Morocco, Jihad initiated an environmental cleaning campaign with her friends to beautify her community and used arts and sculpture to raise awareness of their efforts. At the age of 15, Jihad wrote a poem about AIDS that won a national contest for publication in the American National Yearbook.

Now living with a host family in Pennsylvania, Jihad shares her culture and experiences with residents of the local senior center and serves as a mentor to a primary school student named Annie. To engage her American peers in her culture, Jihad teaches Arabic, concocts elaborate Moroccan feasts and gives presentations at high schools around the region. In the future Jihad wants to work with the UN and initiate more cross-cultural dialogue. "My biggest fear is dying without witnessing any change," Jihad says. "For this reason, what matters most to me is starting that change and contributing to it."