Fifteen-year-old Suleman Makhani has experienced lots of firsts since he left his home and family 7,543 miles away in Pakistan.
Boarding his first international flight in September, Makhani traveled from Karachi to Dubai and then on to Washington, D.C., Denver and Billings, becoming the first person in his family to visit the United States.
After arriving, he met his host family, got his own room, started school, joined the cross country team, and even tried mashed potatoes.
As Makhani recounts his new experiences during an interview at Central High, where he’s enrolled as a sophomore, he pauses there.
“Mashed potatoes,” he smiles, “they are wow!”
He said a group of students from his art class made him a batch after learning he had never tried the starchy mush.
As Central’s first Muslim student and first student from Pakistan, Makhani is participating in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program, which is more commonly referred to as the YES program.
More Billings Central’s first Muslim student adjusts to life in Montana.
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