He’s a Student in a Country Where Dreams Come True

It was a Peace Corps volunteer who planted the seeds of Jon Stefanuca’s dream to travel from his home in Moldova to the United States.

That dream has come true. The 17-year-old arrived in Anaheim in September to be a foreign exchange student at Loara High School.

Now he’s focusing his attention on another dream: to visit Washington and learn more about democracy so he may one day help his Eastern European country, which regained its freedom in 1991 after many years of Soviet rule.

“I lived in a country that did not permit freedom of speech or actions,” Stefanuca said. “I saw people suffering without hope and without future, and I saw people struggling for their human rights--I did the same thing.”

Stefanuca has applied for a student program that would give him the chance to visit the nation’s capital and interact with political leaders.

But the teen, who is not allowed to work as an exchange student, lacks the $1,500 needed by the end of December to make the one-week trip in April. He’s been performing odd jobs, including mowing lawns and cleaning garages, but is still far from having enough money for the trip.

Teachers at his high school, hoping to help, recently set up a scholarship fund.

“He has been interested in the trip to Washington since Day 1, and is eager about it, but he is lacking the funds,” said Tom Dorosky, an instructor at Loara and Stefanuca’s mentor.

Donations can be sent to The Jon Stefanuca Scholarship Fund at Loara High School, 1765 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim, CA 92804.