Damien Kerseborn

From Suriname to Virginia: A YA Alum’s Journey of Service and Resilience

Damien Kerseborn joined the Youth Ambassadors (YA) Caribbean exchange to Charlottesville, Virginia in 2023, where he developed strong bonds with his host family, partner institutions, and fellow participants. The Youth Ambassadors (YA) program develops youth leadership capacity and builds bonds of friendship and understanding between people of the Americas. It is managed by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED) at Georgetown University and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

Last year, Damien attended The Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, and will begin his studies at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia this fall. Before joining the YA program, Damien witnessed a bus and teacher strike at a nearby middle school in Suriname that left students without access to classes. Passionate about helping others, he stepped in to teach every subject for an entire year in place of the regular staff. Recognizing that some students needed additional support, he also began tutoring. After his YA 2023 exchange experience in Charlottesville, Damien expanded this initiative into a national tutoring project in Suriname, which later grew to include smaller projects focused on mental health and coaching.

Damien’s year in Virginia as a senior high school student was equally rich. He served as a class representative in student government, acted as a student ambassador for prospective students, joined an engineering club that competed against college students – the only high school club of its kind in the U.S. competing at that level. He also worked as an EMT, an experience he had long hoped to pursue. He also interned at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, CIED’s partner in implementing the U.S. community exchange in Charlottesville, gaining valuable exposure to civic engagement and public affairs.

Damien credits the YA program with helping him recognize his potential and strengthening his commitment to serving communities in Suriname and in the U.S. He also deeply values his host family experience, maintaining close ties with them and considering them as family. They attended several of his high school events last year, including a play in which he had the leading male role. Damien notes that the connection and sense of safety he found with his host family has been especially meaningful, offering him a stability he has not always experienced at home in Suriname.

In August 2025, Damien returned to Charlottesville with fellow alumnus Chidindu Ohaegbulam to meet the new YA Caribbean cohort. Together, they joined local high school students for a workshop on “Youth Civic Activism: What is it? What forms does it take?” Damien shared his journey of turning a grassroots tutoring effort in Suriname, born out of a local bus and teacher strike, into a national initiative supporting students across the country. He also fielded questions from participants about applying to U.S. colleges, offering perspective from his own recent experiences.

Damien’s journey reflects the power of the Youth Ambassadors program to inspire long-term service, leadership, and cross-cultural connection, with impact that extends far beyond the initial exchange.

Related Program

Youth Ambassadors

Youth Ambassadors is a cultural exchange program designed to strengthen the leadership skills of young people from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. It builds bonds of friendship and understanding between people of the Americas and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.