Local student to visit Japan

FALLBROOK — Melissa Felipe, currently a junior at Fallbrook High School, will be traveling to Japan this summer as an American Field Service (AFS) exchange student. She departs June 23, will stay with a host family in Tokyo, and will attend a language school studying Japanese for about six weeks, returning August 4.

Melissa first learned about the AFS program from a friend. From telephone calls to AFS and online inquiries, she worked her way through the application process and was accepted as an exchange student earlier this year. She has raised money for her trip from working at the Boys & Girls Club, from fundraisers such as raffles, and from solicitations to local businesses and charitable organizations. She also received support from the local AFS chapter and her parents.

Melissa lives with her mother and stepdad, Iselda and Jenaro Ramirez, sister Luisa and brother Jenaro. She has traveled with her family to the East Coast, to Oregon, and to Mexico. Her favorite classes in school are history and art. She enjoys making sketches and leads the Arts and Crafts activities at the Boys & Girls Club three afternoons a week.

Melissa is fluent in Spanish and is currently studying American Sign Language. She has done some beginning study in Japanese using material she received from a tutor in her AVID class. She is looking forward to learning more about the Japanese language and culture.

AFS is an international non-profit exchange program run by volunteers; each year the US sends and receives some 3,000 exchange students. For more information about the local branch of AFS, visit http://www.afssandiego.org.