We first met high school student Dasha Nazarova in St. Petersburg when she volunteered to help with our delegation of citizen diplomats last June.
Dasha was an incredibly gracious hostess to our group, helping with interpretation and even inviting members to her home for dinner. After the trip, one of our group members–Aselin Maloney–invited Dasha to come to Mesa, Arizona for a three month visit so she could perfect her English skills and attend an American high school. Dasha’s visit worked out splendidly! She also visited with other June trip participants in Salt Lake City, and visited an old friend in Atlanta Georgia.
Dasha and Aselin both demonstrated how we all have the ability to build bridges between our two countries that will last for a lifetime!
Sharon Tennison and Ted McIntire interview Dasha in February 2016 about her travels and home hosting in America: