Denver, CO –  US-Brazil Connect has announced its new class of 137 Fellows, including Global Leaders, Community College Fellows, STEM Fellows, and Senior Fellows. Selected through a competitive application and interview process, the Fellows hail from 26 US states, representing disciplines ranging from computer science to the visual arts. Many fellows are traveling abroad for the first time.  

“The US-Brazil Connect Fellowship is not tourism and it’s not old-style charity work,” explained US-Brazil Connect President and Founder Mary Gershwin. “It’s a true partnership in global leadership based on shared investment, mutual learning and development of authentic relationships. In addition to  creating deep connections with Brazil and developing global leadership skills that can serve them for decades, our Fellows are helping to build a new model for international exchange and service.”

US-Brazil Connect Fellows receive a scholarship of support valued at over $8500, including intensive training, professional support, lodging/meals for four weeks in Brazil, and a stipend. Fellows make a commitment to their personal growth and serve as coaches to help Brazilian technical students practice English. By using a combination of distance learning through Facebook and Google Hangout and in-person contact, US-Brazil Connect Fellows lead teams of Brazilian youth, and focus on building confidence, language skills, and connection through interpersonal relationships.    

US-Brazil Connect created the fellowship in partnership with the SENAI/SESI technical education system of the Brazilian Confederation of Industry. Launched in 2012, when the first class of 20 Fellows from US community colleges traveled to Brazil to coach 200 high school students to improve their confidence and English language skills, the program has now grown to work with more than 2000 students at 32 sites within 20 Brazilian states. This groundbreaking educational collaboration, entitled Conexao Mundo (World Connection), has sent over 500 US-Brazil Connect Fellows and Leaders to Brazil to learn and work with over 5000 Brazilian students.

There are now four US-Brazil Connect Fellowship Programs:  The Community College Fellowship expands opportunity for global leadership experiences for community college students and operates in partnership with Flathead Valley Community College, Jackson College, Kirkwood Community College, Northwestern Michigan College, and Community Colleges of Spokane.  The Global Leaders Fellowship recruits top university students and emerging professionals from 26 US states. This year’s class includes Fellows attending schools such as Northwestern University, the University of Colorado system, and the University of California at Berkeley. The Senior Fellows Program is open to outstanding fellows that have made a significant contribution in their first year of involvement with Conexão Mundo and want to help others succeed in the program by sharing their experiences. This year, US-Brazil Connect is piloting its first US-Brazil Connect STEM Fellowship, engaging outstanding students from STEM disciplines to expose them to cross-cultural leadership and learning opportunities.

“The emphasis on partnership is a refreshing approach to international education,” commented Erika Quinonez, a  2015 Global Leaders Fellow. “I look forward most to learning, sharing, and coaching my group of Brazilian students as they strive to achieve their personal, professional, and English-language goals.” A recent graduate of Latin American and Latino Studies form the University of California Santa Cruz, Erika will spend her Global Leaders Fellowship coaching a group of students from the Brazilian city of Maceió, Alagoas.

 “We are absolutely ecstatic to have such a talented and diverse group of Fellows for the 2015 Conexão Mundo Program year,” commented Kerri-Ann Appleton, Global Partnership Director for US-Brazil Connect. “I am sure the connections they will build with our Brazilian students and one another will inspire life-long learning across the Western Hemisphere.”

Learn more about the 2015 Fellows