EDMOND — Visiting all seven continents may not be on the bucket list for most people, but one Memorial High School senior has recently accomplished this goal he set for himself in middle school.

Dillon Duke and his sister, Lana, a freshman at Memorial, recently returned from South Africa where they were ambassadors with the People to People Student Ambassador program started in 1956 by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The two were part of one of three groups from America visiting South Africa this past summer.

“We had 30 students in each delegation, and we stayed in South Africa for two weeks,” Lana said. “While we were there we visited townships in and around Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as other parts of South Africa.”

The students participated in community service projects while there including working in an orphanage where all of the children had some kind of a relationship with HIV or AIDS.

“Either they had it or a parent had had it and had died,” Lana said.

While visiting the schools in the townships the brother and sister would be surrounded by children, sometimes 50 at once.

“They all thought we were celebrities, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber,” Dillon said. “They would all be around us. They loved having their pictures taken.”

Both students agreed the people of South Africa were the happiest people of any of the nations they have visited.

“The kids were smiling all of the time, even in the poorer areas,” Lana said. She added the people in South Africa refer to themselves as “The Colorful Nation.”

Both students said not only were the South African people friendly, but they were also proud.

“Even the poorest people were proud to be South African,” Dillon said. “They would even sweep the ground in front of their cardboard houses while they were dressed in Polos and khakis or Abercrombie jeans.”

While visiting Robin Island, their guide told them how he had been arrested during the years of apartheid.

“He was a guerrilla fighter who had been trained by the Communists,” Dillon said. “As he shared his story he told us how he had spent 13 years in prison. His was a sad story. His girlfriend, pregnant with their child, had been killed.”

One of the high points of the trip was visiting Kruger National Park where they stayed at a bush camp and had a chance to walk with cheetahs.

Dillon said when he first started with the program he was shy and quiet, but participating in the People to People program brought him out of his shell.

“Not only has being in the program given me the opportunity to learn leadership skills, but it has taught me how lucky we are. A lot of people are happy to come home to cardboard houses, and we have so many other opportunities to be thankful for.”

His first trip as a student ambassador with People to People was when he traveled to Australia in the summer between the fifth and sixth grade.

“I was part of an Oklahoma delegation of sixth-graders,” Dillon said. “It was then I set as my goal to visit all seven continents.”

Observing research stations while in Antarctica, Dillon’s favorite continent to visit, gave him the chance to not only meet people from other countries, but it gave him the opportunity to meet and learn about the animal life as well.

“Everything about the environment in Antarctica is pristine,” Dillon said. “The penguins come to you and the sea lions just lay there while the elephant seals spend their time making a lot of noise.”

In Antarctica the students pretty much stuck together, Dillon added.

“We were with People to People and Students on Ice, which was more of an environmental group.”

Lana said her favorite places so far have been England and France.

“I like the food and the culture in both places,” Lana said.

Both students said they would definitely recommend the program to other students.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for anyone,” Dillon said. “Everyone all over the world looks at America, but we as Americans don’t really take the time to look closely at anyone else.”

Dillon’s next goal is to apply for an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, and he has already started working toward that goal.

Lana’s goal is to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

“I want to visit all seven continents,” Lana said.