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."
