As a sophomore in high school, Ahji Guyn has made a decision to do what many could never imagine trying.

At the end of the summer, she plans to leave her country, her family and her friends to live for a year with strangers in a country she has never visited and where the language is completely foreign to her.

Why such a choice?

“I wanted to spend my junior year abroad because I am interested in experiencing a culture very different from ours as well as working in community service projects abroad,” Guyn said.

Her interest was also stoked by her family’s history of living outside the U.S.

“My interest for traveling started when I heard stories of my family traveling and living abroad in places like Saudi Arabia, Germany, and China,” Guyn explained.

Now she wants to live her own such adventure. Guyn plans to spend the entirety of her junior year somewhere in India, with the exact destination yet to be determined.

While many students chose to study abroad during high school, Guyn’s plans are anything but conventional.

Her opportunity is completely free and entirely planned as part of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program, otherwise known as YES Abroad. Sponsored by the State Department, its goal is to encourage American students to travel to, and thus better understand, countries with significant Muslim populations. Beyond India, other countries for which full scholarships are provided include Malaysia, Oman, Morocco, and Senegal.

Guyn is one of only 65 students in all the United States to receive such an opportunity for the 2015-2016 academic year. The selection process was long and rigorous, including a required three-day interview session in Washington, D.C.

The first push to apply came from Guyn’s mother, who had lived in Saudi Arabia with Guyn’s father. That experience opened their minds to the possibility of their daughter living abroad, too.

“My parents have been extremely supportive,” she said. “Of course they are worried, but they are also very excited for me.”

The future traveler can’t help but join in their enthusiasm. What some would consider perhaps the hardest part of living abroad, she finds most appealing.

“I am most excited for learning Hindi and attending an Indian school,” Guyn said.

Her motivation to discover India also comes from a slightly less serious place.

“India, specifically was ranked high on my list because of how different the culture is – but I also love Indian food,” she said. “It is something I really look forward to and I hope to learn from.”