Hi, my name is Shawn and I am a 15 year old boy. I am currently applying for a foreign exchange program named AFS. It is a program that allows students such as myself who want to explore things beyond what you see on a day-to-day basis by having you spend a year in another country and submerge myself in their culture. So the purpose of this letter is to ask for a sponsorship from your company so I can live out this great experience. I would understand if you couldn’t but please just consider it.

            I would like to let you know about the program first just to give you an idea of what I am aspiring to do. The AFS program is a Foreign Exchange Program that allows teenagers to live in a different country and immerse themselves in that country’s culture. Some of the countries included are Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Costa Rica. While participating in this program I would be enrolled in a school in the area of my host family so I won’t miss out on any of my education. Also, it allows one to explore a new life in many other countries, which they will be visiting. This would be a great opportunity for anyone who wants to broaden their horizons such as myself. I believe that if I participate in this program, that I would not only explore many new cultures, but to get a head start on living life as an individual and show myself that I don’t have to be dependent on my parents to get far in life. This is an important skill for college and the life after college.

            Now I would like to explain myself to you so you can see who I am. I am 15(as stated before) and I have always strayed away from my family and liked to hang out with friends my age because I felt that it was more entertaining for myself. I am in to playing video games and playing any type of sport especially baseball. I have always been involved in recreational sports such as baseball for 7 years and soccer for 3 years. Also, when it comes to school I have always been considered an honor student. I was tested into gifted programs in the second grade where I was solving sheets of multiplication and division in under a minute. This skill has carried over to today where I am taking Algebra 3-4 (Algebra 2) Honors as a freshman at Valley Vista High School. Math has always been my favorite period of the day because I find it fun and easy to compute. And lastly, I love comedy. I watch stand-up comedians all the time such as Katt Williams and Kevin Hart. Comedy is something that has always been with me due to having a family who is so happy and joyous most of the time.

            Now that you know about me, I would like to tell you what I am wanting from this sponsorship. I was hoping to get somewhere around $5000 to take a nice piece out of the tuition. What I plan to do to get the rest of the money for the tuition is setting up fundraisers and probably becoming a math tutor. I just need a little help since the cost of this program is around $13000 and my family and I have just made a big move form Ohio to Arizona and money has been tight for the first few months.

            So I am hoping that after getting to know me and learning about the wonderful program I want to participate, that you would be able to give me a little financial help. If you want to talk to me about the program or maybe even want to get to know me more and where I am coming from please contact me at shawnw1218@q.com. Please contribute to my program by simply pressing "Chip In" in the widget above.

                                    Thank You,

                              Shawn Dwayne Walton Jr.




My Journey to Malaga, Spain!!!!!!


I just currently recieved my host family after what seemed like the most anxious time of my life. I was fortunate enough to get a host family from Malaga, Spain. Everything seems so real now because I was able to recieve a scholarship that covered 90% of my tuition, now I only have $1100 left, which seems to be the hardest amount to get. Stay Tuned, I'll keep you guys informed on whatever else happens!!!!