Anggita Paramesti - people usually call her Gita. She is 17 years old and was born in Yogyakarta. She has an older brother. Gita enjoys reading books and writing stories and hiking. She hopes to become an accomplished author. Gita considers writing an adventure and a way to express her imagination and feelings. She has also been very active in clubs and school related activities. She has won several awards with her high school debate club. Gita is currently living with her host family and attending high school in Vermont.
	Aria Danaparamita, Mita, was born in Jakarta, but grew up in Depok, West Java. She is 16 and has a younger sister. Mita lived in Australia for three years while her mother was on a scholarship program to obtain her PhD. Mita was a member of the Student Council and English Club and was Chief Editor of her school magazine. She has participated in debates and public speaking competitions. She was also a member of her school Photography Club and Swim Team. Mita holds a Brown Belt in Go-Kan-Ryu Karate. She makes friends easily and enjoys spending time with people of different backgrounds and different points of view. At one time she considered the legal profession as a possible career, but now has interests in physics, chemistry and astronomy. Mita is living with her host family in Tacoma, Washington.
	Raden Aryo Febrian Moedanton, Ryo, is 17 years old. He was born in Jakarta but has lived in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, since he was 12. He has an older sister who is studying to be a doctor. Ryo went to school at SMAN 1 Bukittinggi and Sekolah Nasional Berstandar Intemasional where they spoke English for science and math studies. He was a member of the Student Council and the Debate Team. The Debate Team was the West Sumatra English Debate Champion and the Three Province Debate Champion. He was awarded the "Best Student for Anti-Drugs Campaign" for his province and was awarded second prize in the Religious Scientific Journal Tournament. Ryo enjoys entering competitions and playing badminton and soccer and hiking. He plans to major in International Affairs and hopes for a career as an Ambassador or diplomat. Ryo is currently living with his host family in Seattle, Washington.
	Citra Lestari Oktaviana is 16 years old. She was born in Cirebon and grew up in Kuningan, West Java. She has two younger sisters. Citra received a scholarship for high school where she participated in extra curricular activities in Arts and Paskibraka. In 2006, Citra was elected as a provincial representative to raise the national flag at Presidential ceremonies on Indonesia's Independence Day. She also became a Youth Ambassador in 2006 representing West Java province in the International Youth Federation. Citra enjoys reading books as a hobby. She hopes to receive a scholarship for university studies and plans to major in International Relations. Citra is living with her host family in Little Elm, Texas.
	Muhammad Rasis Surya Prathama is 17 from Yogyakarta and attended SMA N 8 high school where he was Chairman of his class. He was taking the science curriculum which included classes in math, physics, chemistry and biology in addition to regular classes of religion, history, arts, sports and computer. He was also a member of Sivita Aktivita Islamika, a religious organization, Garda Parama Satya Pakci, a marching organization, and ICT, an organization teaching use of computers and international relations. Rasis enjoys playing games, listening to music and photography. He is also interested in video editing. He plans to enter a university and major in Electrical Engineering. Rasis is living with a host family in Ohio.
	Isabelle Janvlyn Sastra grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia and is a June 2004 graduate of St. Ursula High School in Jakarta. She was a member of her high school student council and also played in a gamelan, a traditional Indonesian ensemble. She was also an announcer and disk jockey on her high school radio station. Isabelle came to the US in October 2004. She is currently studying at George Washington University in Washington, DC, majoring in international business and a minor in political science. She attended Montgomery College and Georgetown University and was a member of the Montgomery College Student Government Association and a student Senator. She enjoys meeting new people and getting involved in school activities. During her spare time she likes to read books, watch movies, or just hang out with friends. Isabelle also likes outdoor activities such as equestrian, tennis, and volleyball.
	Muhammad Hardiansyah or M was born in 1989, he is originally from Aceh. His chance to go to U.S. came when he received his scholarship (sponsored by Sampoerna Foundation Indonesia) to attend United World College (UWC) in New Mexico. Originally, he studied in SMA Negeri 2 Modal Bangsa, Blang Bintang, Aceh Besar, NAD. In his previous school M was the leader of senate organization with responsibility to control and coordinate all student activities. M lives in the UWC dormitory along with other scholars from around the world. He is pursuing an International Baccalaureate Diploma. M likes theater and acting, he won best actor award at his previous school. His future plans are to pursue a degree in engineering.
	Ratna Milana Budiman - Mila was born in Jakarta, went to SD Harapan ibu elementary school, then Bakti Mulya 400 junior high school and SMUN 6 Mahakam high school. Mila enjoys sports, especially basketball and soccer. She has many hobbies and while in high school her extracurricular activities included dance (PCM), basketball and soccer. Mila has two brothers and a sister. She attends the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her major is Interior and Architecture Design. While in San Francisco, Mila has participated in Hallaqah (gathering and prayer) for Muslims and Pasar Senggol (introducing Indonesian culture to the world presented by Indonesian community in San Francisco). She also participated in the Indonesian Idol singing contest in San Francisco and won the 2nd place. Mila wants to bring new ideas and concepts that she learns in the United States to Indonesia. Mila says, "Being an artist is such a pleasure profession and creating a piece of art that people would enjoy is a nice thing to do."
	Ari Wijanarko Adipratomo - Ari was born in Jakarta and attended SMAN 9 Kota Bogor high school. He also attended, for two semesters, the Institute of Social and Political Sciences Jakarta (IISIP). He is currently enrolled at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, Illinois, where he is pursuing an Associate Degree in International Communications. He is active in the International Relations and Politics Study Group at the College; a volunteer in a cancer support organization in Chicago, Gilda's Club, and KALIMASADA Meditation for Health (Inner Power). Ari is a member of PERMIAS Chicago, the Indonesian Consulate Dance Troop, Pengajian Chicago and TELEHALAQAH. He is involved in martial arts (Shorinji Kempo) and is the National Representative of Indonesian Scout Movement for Boy Scouts of America Northwest Council Suburbs. Some events that Ari has attended include the West Java Province Scouts Rover Moot 2002, Jatinagor, West Java; National Scouts Rover Moot VIII 2003, Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta; SEAMEO BIOTROP Seminar for High School Students; City of Bogor Leadership Course for High School Students, and the American Democracy Institute 2005 Midwest Regional Summit.
Student Participants 2006/2007
No picture of Aidil available	Aidil Akbar Latief is an AFS student exchange program participant from Jakarta. He is 17 years old and previously attended SMAN 81 school in Jakarta. He lives with host parents in Minnetonka, Minnesota. He attends Minnetonka High School. Akbar was the president of his high school student body in Jakarta. He enjoys art, photography, design, and drawing. His future goal is to be a dentist and his short-term goal is to enter a state university in Indonesia. He enjoys cross-country running his extra curricular sport in his U.S. high school.
No picture of Messia available	Messia Refri Rahmi is an AFS student exchange program participant form Padang, West Sumatera. She is 17 years old, easy going and enjoys meeting new friends. She lives with a host family in Charlottesville, Virginia and attends Western Albemarle High School. At her high school in Indonesia she was active in student organizations and was president of her high school student body organization (also known as OSIS), and a leader in her English debate club. Her hobby is to speak in public so she plans to take communications and international relations in her further study or she would also like to be a researcher and work in the laboratory.
No Picture of Marella available	Marella Al Faton is from Garut, West Java. She is 17 years old and previously attended Darul Arqham Islamic Boarding School in Garut. Marella lives with her host family in Hutchinson, Kansas and is also a participant in the AFS exchange program. One of her hobbies is science and she was secretary of the science club at her school in Garut. Marella would like to be an Ambassador because she enjoys learning the cultures of other countries.
	Putra Frank Yoshi Sigar is a second year student at the NY Film Academy. Yoshi went to Sekolah Pelita Harapan school in Jakarta. He participated in school plays and little theatre groups in Indonesia which increased his interest in learning about the film industry. He enjoys going to the movies, watching soccer games with friends and playing video games. Yoshi plans to return to Indonesia to work in the film industry.
	Andi Apriansyah Nur is from Makassar, South Sulawesi. He is 17 years old, friendly and polite. He lives in Manford, Alabama with a host family and with another exchange student from Brazil. Andi would like to be a doctor in the future. He enjoys science and was active in student organizations in his previous school in Makassar.
Previous Participants 2005-2006
	Ridho Jun Prasetyo or Ridho was born in Purwokerto (Java), 11 June 1988. He attended SMA Negeri 10 "Melati" Samarinda, Kalimantan. He was a vice president of student body and youth red cross in junior high. He was also a member of the Islamic youth organization and was a coordinator of the committee for the Junior High School English Competition in East Kalimantan. Ridho loves singing, dancing, playing guitar and sports, such as basketball, volleyball and soccer. Ridho is a senior at Rufus King High School in Franklin, Wisconsin. He is a member of the junior varsity cross country team. He is also a member of the Asian Club and Friends of Islam Club at his high school.
	Aqsha Karbela or Aca was born in Jakarta, 16 March 1988. She attended Pondok Pesantren Darunnajah school in Jakarta. She was a member of the Girl Scouts, Student Body Officer, and basketball, swimming and Tae Kwon Do teams. In 2004 she was awarded a scholarship to participate in the Islamic Youth Leadership Ptrogram in the US. She speaks three languages: Bahasa Indonesia, English and Arabic. Aca is a Junior at Windsor High School in Ft. Collins, Colorado. She is a member of Peace Jam in Ft. Collins.
No Picture of Stacy available	Stacy Hartono is a Sophomore at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She is in the School of Foreign Service and her major is Science Technology and International Affairs, concentrating on bio technology and international health. In her spare time, Stacy enjoys going to the movies and to concerts.