Talking with 11th-grade Point Loma High School (PLHS) student Caroline Keuhner, it’s clear she has passion. The petite percussion player is brimming with enthusiasm and energy as she speaks about her hobbies (high school marching band and physics), goals (graduating from high school and studying film at the University of Southern California), and especially her upcoming trip to Latvia.
Keuhner will be visiting the Eastern European country via a foreign exchange student program in August, returning in February 2008. However, she still has to come up with another $3,700 by summer to make the dream a reality. To do so, Keuhner and her family will hold a communitywide yard sale Saturday, March 31, and Sunday, April 1, at their home, 2870 Mobley St. in Serra Mesa.
She is currently seeking donations for the event “” clothes, baby items, toys, electronics, tools, used computers, furniture or knick-knacks, any items in good shape that can be sold to help her raise the money needed.
Keuhner explained that she first heard of the AFS Intercultural Programs (formerly the American Field Service), the group facilitating the exchange, during a freshman-year French class. Two AFS representatives spoke about the program, piquing Keuhner’s interest.
Two years later, Keuhner heard the presentation again, but this time she signed up.
While Keuhner is no stranger to traveling “” she and her family have visited every state in the continental U.S. except North Dakota “” she has yet to travel overseas.
“Europe is my favorite place because I love the history,” Keuhner said on selecting her travel destination.
Through AFS, Keuhner will attend Latvian schools and learn the languages “” Latvian and Russian. She said she looks forward to learning more about the world beyond the peninsula and San Diego.
“There’s just so much that you can’t know when you stay in your little isolated area,” Keuhner said.
Keuhner explained that she will explore the region with her host family to experience the culture as a resident, not a visitor.
“You’re not being a tourist, you’re over there to live,” Keuhner said.
To alleviate the financial burden of such a trip, Keuhner has raised almost half of the $6,850 program fee, which does not include spending money.
She generated about $1,000 by wrapping gifts outside Toys “R” Us during Christmas. And Keuhner went door to door collecting donations from neighbors and local businesses. She said she is already planning a car wash once the upcoming yard sale is over.
While the trip will offer a cultural education, Keuhner will have to go the extra mile to make sure she graduates on time with her classmates. She will complete two SAT tests during the spring semester at PLHS, take courses at a community college this summer and apply to colleges while abroad.
Keuhner’s mother, Katie Keuhner, said she will miss her only daughter during the six-month adventure.
“It’s exciting,” Katie Keuhner said. “It’s not as scary because she’ll be with a family.”
The yard sale will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at the Keuhners’ home.
Katie Keuhner has volunteered to pick up donations. For more information, call Katie Keuhner at (858) 576-1077. For more information on AFS visit www.usa.afs.org.
