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International graduates make a long trip to get their diplomas

LEIPZIG, GERMANY - AUGUST 30: Graduates in gown and caps celebrate their graduation at the HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management on August 30, 2014 in Leipzig, Germany. A total of 167 students in various Masters programs of business management graduated today, including the regular MBA program, whose students are 80% from foreign countries, while the more advanced graduate programs have a higher percentage of German-born students. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)

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It's graduation season, which means plenty of students will don a cap and gown to receive their diplomas. But commencement ceremonies have a special meaning for one group of teens in downtown L.A.

The American University Preparatory School, the first international boarding school established in downtown L.A., will graduate its first batch of 12 students Saturday. Its students come from all around the world including Botswana, Taiwan and Venezuela.

Gary Woods, who heads the school, says getting an American education has been life-changing for the students, especially one girl from Afghanistan.

"Coming here has been a breath of fresh air for her," Woods tells KPCC. "She's experienced freedom and safety for the first time in her life, and she's been encouraged to move forward and to become more educated."

Other students graduating from the school are heading to Stanford, MIT, and Julliard, among other colleges.