Vishrutha from India Conquers Her Fears - and America!

The Nyhus family of Lee’s Summit, Missouri nominated their student, 15-year-old Vishrutha from India, as October’s Star Student: 

What has this girl done since her arrival loss than 2 months ago?  A couple of her accomplishments thus far really must be seen in a compare/contrast perspective.

Vishrutha, from the city of Bangalore in the middle of south India, had never been swimming before and had a fear of the water.  She has been swimming in a couple of swimming pools to start, and then she abandoned her
fears and jumped out of a boat into Lake Jacomo (a local county lake) on Labor Day.

Vishrutha had never been much of a cook, but she's not only attended two Indian cooking classes here locally, but she also won first prize in The 5th Annual Chili Cookoff at our church this weekend.  She and our little girl
Sukanya made an Indian soup/chili dish called Rajma...delicious!

She visited the Kansas City India Fest and had her hand/arm tattooed with henna and introduced us to some Indian dance routines and other Indian cuisine. 

Vishrutha is only 15 but was enrolled in Lee's Summit High School as a junior, and has been excelling in her coursework, making a bunch of new friends, and greatly enjoyed the homecoming festivities with them.  Instead
of 5-7 at the table during lunch at school, there is 15-20 gathered at her table including other foreign exchange students.

At least half of her friends were made at our church where Vishrutha has attended since she first arrived.  In fact, she's been spending Sunday evenings volunteering in the childrens wing of the church, helping care for the little ones while their parents attend the worship services.  Vishrutha has enjoyed the activities of the church youth group that she's invited/brought several other foreign exchange students to them!

One evening after a stressful week for all our kids, Vishrutha enjoyed a luau Wendy organized in our backyard, including a Hawian meal, music, tiki torches grass skirts and leis!  She loved it and got busy celebrating with
the rest of us.

Then the following weekend she was conquering her fear of heights by climbing to the deck of the 16' high tree-house-in-process in the backyard.

Vishrutha is an amazing young lady who has fit right into our family like, as the cliché goes, a hand in a glove!