MONROE COUNTY SETS A NEW RECORD IN STUDY ABROAD

“We are notifying the first 37 early admission students from Monroe County, Florida who have been accepted by The Experiment in International Living to participate in our international cross- cultural programs this summer 2018,” Dr. Aaron Morehouse, Executive Director, announced

today. “These students will be traveling to 18 different countries and 22 different programs.”

Heather Beard, Director of Admissions explained, “With 37 students participating this summer, Monroe County has the highest number of students participating than any other county in the U.S., outside of the New York City metro area.”

“Fourteen of the accepted students participate in Monroe County’s Take Stock in Children program. They will join 21 other Monroe County students selected to receive partial merit-based scholarships through the exclusive Global Leaders Essay Contest. Additionally, two other Monroe County students will participate in our Tanzania: African Cultures & Landscapes program this summer,” Morehouse said.

“We have more vacancies available in certain programs for additional Monroe students, if they apply right away. Students should contact me directly at 802-258-3412 or at [email protected],” Beard said.

“The Experiment actively recruits students from Monroe County, Florida, and we were invited to give presentations at Key West High School, Marathon High School, and Coral Shores High School. We also greatly expanded our outreach to Monroe County this year,” Beard said.

The 37 early accepted students are from three high schools:

Coral Shores High School:

*Tara Amador, Grade 11, Argentina: Community Service & the Great Outdoors Cresaria Del Pino, Grade 11, The Netherlands: LGBTQ+ Rights & Dutch Culture Natalie Dixon, Grade 11, Thailand: Buddhist Traditions & Thai Culture

Cara Erickson, Grade 11, Tanzania: African Cultures & Landscapes

Peyton Kerry, Grade 11, Ecuador: The Galápagos Islands & the Andes

Zybo Marchetti, Grade 11, Costa Rica: Biodiversity, Ecology, & Sustainability

Shannon McCormick, Grade 11, Vietnam: Ecology & Conservation

Rachel Medina, Grade 11, Spain: Language & Culture

Hailey Pacyna, Grade 11, France: French Language & Culinary Training

Valente Reynoso-Heaton, Grade 11, Mongolia: Nomadic Culture & Outdoor Adventure

*Berkley Wolgamott, Grade 11, Japan: Japanimation | Anime & Manga

Alison Woltanski, Grade 9, Tanzania: African Cultures & Landscapes

Key West High School:

Weedmide Alexandre, Grade 11, Morocco: Multiculturalism in North Africa

*Ciara Barrett, Grade 10, Tanzania: African Cultures & Landscapes

Meghan Barter, Grade 11, South Africa: Leadership & Social Change

*Aneisy Betancourt-Marrero, Grade 11, Brazil: Soccer & Social Change

Nicolas Concepcion, Grade 9, Argentina: Community Service & the Great Outdoors

*Daniel Davila, Grade 10, Tanzania: African Cultures & Landscapes

*Jefflyne Desilme, Grade 11, Vietnam: Ecology & Conservation

*Eileen Ellington, Grade 10, The Netherlands: LGBTQ+ Rights & Dutch Culture

*Madilyn Flores, Grade 10, Japan: Japanese Language & Culture

Daniel Gvili, Grade 10, Spain: Language & Culture

Margaret Iarrobino, Grade 10, Costa Rica: Biodiversity, Ecology, & Sustainability

Erik Jutte, Grade 10, Italy: Italian Language & Food Culture

Sydney MacDougall, Grade 10, Thailand: Buddhist Traditions & Thai Culture

*Jessica Nitti, Grade 9, Spain: Regional Cultures

Marionica Noel, Grade 11, India: Health Care & Traditional Medicine

*Adreanna Otero, Grade 11, Spain: Language & Culture

*Harrison Simmons, Grade 10, United Kingdom: Journalism & Contemporary Media

Savannah Smith, Grade 10, Mongolia: Nomadic Culture & Outdoor Adventure

*Linsey Wilkins, Grade 10, Germany: International Relations & The E.U.

Sarah Valdez, Grade 9, France: Fine Arts & Photography

Marathon High School:

Aydan Child, Grade 11, Costa Rica: Biodiversity, Ecology, & Sustainability

Coral Purcell, Grade 9, Japan: Japanese Language & Culture

Taquoia Walker, Grade 11, France: Regional Cultures

Charles Williams Lopez, Grade 11, Japan: Japanimation | Anime & Manga

*Hannah Ziels, Grade 11, South Africa: Leadership & Social Change

The Experiment received 450 submissions to the County Global Leaders Essay Contest. Of the 37 travelers, 13 students (noted with an asterisk above) submitted one of the top 30 essays to the Global Leaders Essay Contest and will receive certificates of recognition for their winning essays.

The following additional 17 finalists of the Global Leaders Essay Contest submitted one of the top 30 essays, and will also receive certificates of recognition, but are not traveling this summer:

Coral Shores High School Alexandra De Toro Grade 11

Dan Garcia Grade 11 April Klein Grade 10 David Ruano Grade 11

Key West Collegiate Academy Sarah Szimanski Grade 10

Key West High School 

Cora Baxter Grade 9

Yurisleidy Concepcion Grade 10 Mercedes Da Silva Grade 10 Jillian Duclo Grade 10

Leislany Garcia-Montero Grade 10

Shirina Kamilova Grade 9

Divya Navani Grade 10

Sofiya Ogorodnychuk Grade 10

Jake Perez Grade 10 Andreya Ramos Grade 10 Gabriel Rodriguez Grade 10

Marathon High School

Nakiah Leppke-Weatherill Grade 10

“Monroe’s students will depart beginning on June 30th in small groups with other curious students from across the U.S. and abroad for a life-changing experience this summer,” according to Dr.

Morehouse.

The Experiment in International Living has been the leader in international education and experiential learning for high school students for more than 85 years. On The Experiment’s 32 summer abroad programs to 26 countries, students explore the world through hands-on experiences and homestays in local communities through the lens of a specific theme, including: sustainability and the environment; arts and social change; language and cultural discovery; leadership training; or peace, politics, and human rights.

“The Experiment in International Living delivers concrete benefits in terms of life experience and professional training” said World Learning CEO, Carol Jenkins.”

To learn more about The Experiment in International Living, visit www.experiment.org. To learn more about World Learning, visit www.worldlearning.org.

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