ASSIST

Since the 1992-1993 school year ASSIST, a program by an independent association, has been operating in Lithuania providing scholarships for Lithuania's secondary school students for their 11th grade studies in the United States. In 2003, the Kazickas Family Foundation signed an agreement with ASSIST supporting its efforts to provide life-changing opportunities for outstanding international scholars to attend and contribute to the finest American independent secondary schools to promote mutual understanding, cultural interchange, and global citizenship. 

An annual competition is held for selecting six (or seven) of the academically best 10th grade students from Lithuania to spend one year in the US as exchange students. Since 2006, the KFF has been providing the resources to help with the selection process in Lithuania. So far, 137 Lithuanian students have studied in the US under the auspices of ASSIST.

Upon returning to their homelands to finish high schools, students share their experiences about people, schools, culture, social aspects, education, earned in the US with their friends and communities at home. The long-term goal of ASSIST program is for such students to apply their experiences at their homelands, to contribute to future ASSIST students' opportunities and to homeland's future.

One year spent at the American Independent school - it's a tireless work of many many ASSIST people and volunteers to find matching schools, sponsors, host families that support and care for students entire school year at their own time and expense. Independent schools in the US offer full or partial scholarships that often exceed $50,000 a year, the Kazickas Family Foundation's contribution of $21,000 each year covers three students' travel, insurance, and other personal expenses. Additional students get funded thanks to generosity and hard work of ASSIST Lithuania alumni and their families. US Embassy in Vilnius offers a few additional scholarships to students whose families have hard time paying the program fee.

Application Process, Overview and Document Checklist are available at: http://assistscholars.org/en/apply