South Caldwell student ready for her dream adventure

Kayla Stover yearns to experience what the world has to offer.

The 17-year-old South Caldwell High School junior plans to be one of the first at her school to spend a semester studying abroad.

Already a member of the American Field Service club at school, Stover celebrates different nationalities by eating native foods with the club and other activities, she said. One weekend in February, Stover and her family hosted a student from Paraguay who was in the U.S. with the AFS exchange program. The student, who was staying with a family in another town, stayed with Stover's family for the weekend to go skiing.

It was Stover's first glimpse into what the AFS program was all about.

"I met several different AFS students that weekend, and after I found out about the program, I decided that that's what I wanted to do," Stover said. "I talked to my mom, and told her that this was what I wanted to do."

She learned, however, that the deadline for a large scholarship for the program was only four days away: Her parents would have to decide quickly if Stover could study abroad for a semester of her senior year.

After her parents gave her the go-ahead, Stover had to decide which country she wanted to live in.

Stover already speaks some Spanish and wanted to go to a country where she could practice and improve her Spanish.

"I looked at Costa Rica, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina as my four picks," she said. "I didn't know Portuguese, and I heard if you didn't know Spanish really well, you wouldn't be able to pick up Portuguese. I heard Paraguay was a little rough to live in, so I decided on either Argentina or Costa Rica. I didn't get a scholarship to Costa Rica, so that made my decision for me."

Only a few weeks after learning she would be going to Argentina, Stover headed off on a medical mission trip to Haiti. The group, consisting of dentists, nurses and pharmacists, is usually a set group.

However, two people dropped out at the last minute, and Stover and her father, who is a nurse, were able to raise the funds to go on the trip with the group.

That opportunity opened Stover's eyes to what other countries were like, and what she could do to help people.

"I helped them pull teeth, count pills and played with the kids," she said. "We also bought the kids a soccer ball to play with at a convenience store that was guarded by bodyguards with automatic weapons. Before the kids had the ball, they were playing soccer with a two-liter bottle that was all smashed down. They were so happy to get a ball to play with."

Stover also learned about another country's customs. She was told before she left not to wear pants while she was in Haiti.

"I was told that you couldn't wear pants because that means that you're a prostitute," she said. "I had to go out and buy a bunch of skirts before I left."

Stover said she's not sure what the culture is in Argentina. She doesn't know who her host family is yet, so she doesn't know if she'll be attending a private school and have to wear a uniform.

She said her trip to Haiti also prepared her for the fundraising she'll have to do for her semester abroad.

Although AFS gave Stover a $2,400 scholarship for her time in Argentina, that leaves her with $6,500 to raise on her own to pay the rest of the cost. Stover said that amount doesn't cover the cost of her visa to get into Argentina, either.

Stover has asked her family, friends and members of her church to assist her, and has even gone through the Yellow Pages, mailing out a letter she's typed up, explaining her situation and asking people for donations.

She's also gone to several businesses, Rotary clubs, Lions clubs and the Hickory and Granite Falls city council meetings, asking for them to sponsor her.

"I've broadened who I'm asking this time, because I have a lot more money to raise," Stover said. "Some people want to know what I want when I come into their offices. Some people will offer to make copies for me and pass the information on to other people in the office, even if they don't donate any money. It's hit and miss. Some will throw it in the trash and some will give you money."

She's also held a few 50-50 raffles at baseball games and is selling candy bars at her school, which Stover said keeps her busy. She did have a job, but was recently laid off because of the slumping economy.

For all of her efforts, she's raised about $4,000. She's leaving July 26, and hopes to have the remaining amount raised well before that.

Stover's excited about living in a new country and seeing what life is like there. She said she's not focusing too much on what she might miss — a semester of her last year in high school and her last Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family, before she goes to college.

Stover will be back in the U.S. in January, just in time to start the second semester of her senior year at South Caldwell. She said she likely won't get any credit for the classes she attends in Argentina, except possibly for Spanish.

"At South Caldwell, we graduate with 32 credits, although we technically only need 28 to graduate," Stover said. "I've already taken all of my hard and necessary classes, and only need English 4 and my graduation project to graduate. I'll do both of those in my spring semester. I can technically miss four classes and still graduate."

She said she's already spoken with the principal about it and he approved her studying abroad. Stover said she debated graduating early, but thought she would benefit more from studying abroad for a semester.

Her mother, Ginny, said it will be hard to see her leave for several months, but knows it's what Stover really wants.

"This is her dream," Ginny said. "I had to step back and step away. For her, it's an adventure. Even as a child, she could see a bigger picture for how it will impact her life."