Senior Claire Watts will be the first student at Whitefish High School to receive a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad full, merit-based scholarship.

In late August or early September the 16-year-old will depart from the United States and spend a year abroad in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Although she is graduating a year early from Whitefish High School, Watts will attend an international French school.

And while she studies abroad in Morocco, her family in Whitefish will host an exchange student from Pakistan.

Morocco was just one of about 14 countries where students could be placed. 

“Morocco was my first choice,” Watts said.

Located in Northwest Africa, Morocco serves as a bridge between Europe, Africa and the Arab east.

Watts said she is most excited to taste and discover Moroccan cuisine, which she said is a large part of learning a country’s culture or history.

She is one of 65 U.S. students to receive a full scholarship out of 120 semi-finalists who interviewed in Washington, D.C. She interviewed in both English and French.

“I think actually living with a family in a completely different culture — this is the only opportunity I’ll have to do that,” Watts said.

The U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program.

Watts has studied French for three years and is the student of Whitefish French teacher Jennifer Vilar.

With a brother who lives in Germany, Watts has traveled abroad before, but this will be the first time she will travel outside the U.S. for more than two weeks. 

“I love it,” she said, adding, “I am definitely expecting to be a little bit homesick. I’ve always grown up here. Morocco is a huge place — but I might also like that.

“I would strongly encourage students to look into how they can take a year off and travel,” Watts said. “The counselors are definitely willing to work with students [academic-wise] who want to travel.”

In addition to teaching French, Vilar serves as area team chairwoman of the Whitefish affiliate of AFS-USA.

The AFS-USA program has been in place in Whitefish for more than 25 years, according to Vilar. In 2013, Whitefish High School was one of 100 high schools named as a “Top AFS School.” Through the organization Whitefish has hosted up to eight international students a year from the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study, Congress-Bundestag and Future Leaders Exchange Program.

During high school Watts has met several foreign exchange students and wanted a chance to be the foreign exchange student learning in another country.

“It definitely inspired me,” she said.

This year, the high school is hosting two students, one from Tanzania and the other from Pakistan. 

For more information about studying abroad or hosting an exchange student visit yes-abroad.org or www.afsusa.org.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.