On 25 June 2024, Ms. Chuliepote Isarankura Na Ayudhaya, Deputy Chief of Mission, welcomed and held a discussion with the six American high school students who will be spending the upcoming school year in Thailand as youth exchange participants of the U.S. Department of State on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange (YES) Abroad program.

This year's YES Abroad recipients are Cadance Dyer, Caleb Roselius, Megan Kim, Michelle Austin, Phoenix Cordero, and Wilfrid Kenney. They were accompanied to the Embassy by Mr. Brandon Penrod, YES Abroad Thailand alumni.

The YES Abroad scholarship is a prestigious program of the U.S. Department of State designed to increase communication and understanding between American students and people of other countries. Thailand is one of the 12 countries the 2024 YES Abroad Program has partnered with, which also include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, North Macedonia, Senegal, and Türkiye.

The Embassy visit is part of the preparation preceding their departure to Thailand this summer to attend local Thai high schools and live with Thai host families to immerse themselves in the culture, traditions, and life in Thailand.