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Fayetteville girl ready to see China this summer

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

There isn’t much that Fayetteville resident Jasmine Bowles hasn’t done yet and after she visits China this summer as part of a People to People trip this summer that list will grow even smaller.

Bowles is a junior at Lovejoy High School who stays very busy during the school year. In addition to taking three advanced placement classes, she is also a member of the BETA Club, student council, the Distinguished Ladies of Lovejoy and the basektball cheerleading squad.

Outside of school, Bowles is heavily involved in her community, volunteering at nursing homes and homeless shelters, as well as working with the Red Cross, the Center for the Visually Impaired and DFACS. When she received something in the mail about a People to People meeting in the area, she decided to check it out, especially since a friend of hers had raved about a People to People trip to Europe she had taken the year before.

People to People was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His belief was that ordinary citizens of different nations, if able to communicate directly, would solve their differences nd find a way to live in peace. Students that become a part of the program are nominated by a teacher or a former student ambassador for a specific trip. The person who make the nominations remains anonymous and the nominated students then go through a process of meetings and interviews before being selected. Forty students are selected for the trip and the students must attend monthly meetings where they do research projects and learn about the country they will be visiting.

While Bowles can’t wait to see the amazing sights in China and Hong Kong during her 17 day excursion, she is looking forward to the elements of self-discovery the trip provides.

“I’ll be learning a lot about myself during the time away from my friends and family,” said Bowles. “I’ll have to trust others, not only the people I’ve met through this People to People group but also the family that I will be staying with for a short period of time while in China.”

The home stay is where participants in the People to People program stay with a host family and, as Bowles describes it, “ eat, sleep and breathe Chinese.” The lessons of Chinese customs and how to be a proper guest have been stressed to the students of the People to People program and Bowles has done a separate project about Chinese beliefs and customs.

Though Bowles is an exemplary student, she can’t wait to get out of school and go on this trip of a lifetime. The cost of the trip, over $5,000, has not been a deterrent. She has held a fundraiser dinner at Right on Thyme in Fayetteville, where she is employed, and has opened an account at SunTrust Bank for those willing to make donations to help her go on the trip. Donations can be made at any SunTrust bank location.