Filled with lessons on Black History Month, Valentine’s Day and English Speech Competitions, the month of February was certainly one to remember in Temanggung, Central Java.

However, the highlight of the month came early on when ETA Allison Cwikla and her 10th-grade student Sabrina Zata Hasifa received phone calls from the US Embassy to hear the news that Zata was selected as a recipient for a scholarship to attend the Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Conference in the United States during April of 2019. Zata will be one of five students representing Indonesia at the conference where she will be joined by student and teacher representatives from other countries in the Southeast Asia Region as well.

The purpose of the conference is to provide young students with an opportunity to develop leadership and international skills that they can take home to their communities. Zata is very involved in extracurricular, such as English Club, at SMA1 Temanggung and is interested in a career in international relations, so when the Embassy reached out to Allis for student recommendations, Allis knew Zata would be a great fit.

Since hearing the news, the two have dedicated many hours to practicing conversational English and discussing Chicago and Washington D., where Zata will visit, to prepare Zata for her upcoming trip. Zata is very excited to represent Temanggung and Indonesia on the world map!

Allison Cwikla is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Temanggung, Central Java