Alan Young

VIF Co-founder inspired by early exposure to cultural exchange

Alan Young was just a boy, living with his parents at the Elon University campus, when he first understood the value of international exchange. "My family hosted an exchange student from Finland," he said. "I was in fifth grade at the time. We didn't know much about Finland when she arrived, but by the end of the year we knew that the days were long in the summer, that everyone skis, and that in the winter, some Finns cut holes in the ice to go swimming."

Learning from the many international scholars at Elon sparked Alan's curiosity about the world. Years later, eager for his own international experience while a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Alan spent a year at the University of Bristol in Great Britain. There, he studied English literature. Between terms, he backpacked across Europe, traveling as far as Morocco and the former Soviet Union.

"It's a powerful experience to be a foreigner, both thrilling and challenging at the same time," Alan said. "You learn from traveling, making new friends, and just going about your daily life. Little victories can be so rewarding, even seemingly trivial things, such as opening a bank account, buying groceries or tipping. It's satisfying to learn to thrive in another culture."

Those experiences were invaluable in preparing Alan for his next challenge: launching an international exchange program for educators.

At Elon, his father – University President J. Fred Young – had been instrumental in developing exchange programs for visiting professors. After Alan graduated from UNC, he worked with his father and mother, Phyllis Young, to found VIF, starting in a small office in the back of a converted railroad car near campus. In 1989, VIF brought the first group of 12 international teachers to North Carolina, and the number of teachers and participating schools and states has grown rapidly since, reaching more than 1,700 teachers from 50 nations in more than 1,000 U.S. schools.

After Alan's brother, David, joined VIF in 1990, Alan studied Spanish in Costa Rica. And he earned a master's degree in international affairs at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and also an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. In 1997, Alan rejoined VIF to pursue his first love: cultural exchange. Alan focuses on helping teachers and school administrators benefit from their exchange experiences – and on continuing VIF's success in bringing international experiences to students and communities.

"Nothing opens your heart and mind to understanding the world like meeting someone from another country and learning from them," Alan said. "And the learning goes both ways, whether you are a teacher or a student."

Read more about David Young