A collaborative network of community colleges, churches and host families successfully welcomed US-Brazil Connect’s largest student delegation to date. During January and February, communities in Michigan, Montana, Iowa and Colorado hosted 108 Brazilian students.
“When we send our Fellows to Brazil, we are always amazed by the level of hospitality,” said US-Brazil Connect Global Partnership Director Kerri-Ann Appleton. “This year we worked hard to match their kindness. Our families and an amazing set of new community partners rolled out the red carpet.”
The students were selected for their outstanding performance over the course of US-Brazil Connect’s Conexão Mundo Program in 2014. The two-week all-expenses-paid trip to the US rewards the top five percent of 2,000 students who participated in the Conexão Mundo Program.
Tracy Simpson, US-Brazil Connect’s Exchange Visit Coordinator, worked with host families and community partners across the country to welcome the Brazilian students.
“Our goal in this trip was to expand the horizons of these amazing students,” explained Ms. Simpson. “We hope the connections host families, host communities and educational partners forged with the students will last for years, if not decades.”
The Brazilian students traveled to locations in the US where they saw their coaches from the previous summer. While the majority of students came to Denver, US-Brazil Connect’s Community College partners also welcomed students to Jackson Community College in Michigan; Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana; and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Select host communities in each city also matched the Brazilian students with activities and host families. In the Denver Metro area, St. Ambrose Church, Denver Center for International Studies, Monarch High School, Boulder High School, Palomino Park, and Highline Academy all arranged activities and homestays for groups of student delegates.
A number of educational partners also provided the student delegates a chance to see the US education system in action. George Washington High School, Monarch High School, Montebello High School, South High School, Foothills Elementary each welcomed Brazilian students into classroom activities.
