Experiment in International Living Announces Essay Winners
by jeffrfrost@gmail.com | March 6, 2017
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (February 15, 2017)
“We are notifying 15 merit-based scholarship winners who applied to our exclusive essay contest for Monroe County, Florida. These outstanding students have been accepted by The Experiment in International Living to participate in our international cross-cultural programs for summer 2017,” Dr. Aaron Morehouse, Executive Director, announced today. “These students will be traveling to 11 different countries and 12 different programs, and received $20,000 in merit-based scholarships, in addition to $11,000 in need-based financial aid from The Experiment.”
“Congratulations to the 15 winners who excelled in the second year of this exclusive essay contest organized by The Experiment,” Superintendent Mark Porter said. “We are proud of the winners, and The Experiment’s increased commitment to Monroe.”
Heather Beard, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, explained, “We have more vacancies available in certain programs for additional Monroe students, if they apply right away. I am traveling to The Keys February 21-22, so interested students and parents should contact me directly at 802-258-3412 or at heather.beard@experiment.org.
“The Experiment actively recruits students from Monroe County, Florida, and we were invited to give presentations at Key West High School, Key West Collegiate Academy, Marathon High School, and Coral Shores High School. We also greatly expanded our outreach to Monroe County this year,” Beard said.
The essay contest winners are from four high schools:
Coral Shores High School:
Jamie Ang, Grade 12, Spain: Language and Cultural Traditions
Kaitlin Darrow, Grade 12, Ecuador: The Galápagos Islands and the Andes
Julianne Jankowski, Grade 11, Germany: Contemporary Politics & the European Union
Halley Lane, Grade 11, Netherlands: Dutch Culture and LGBTQ Rights
Rachelle Magdaong, Grade 11, Korea: Peace Building and Korean Culture
Alyssa Slocumb, Grade 9, Japan: Japanimation—Anime and Manga
Alejandro Tovar-Morales, Grade 10, Japan: Language and Cultural Traditions
Lucy Trunk, Grade 10, Costa Rica: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Sustainability
Key West Collegiate Academy:
Jasmine Fernandez, Grade 11, Tanzania: Coastal and Maasai Cultures
Key West High School:
Emily Conn, Grade 12, Thailand: Buddhist Traditions and Contemporary Culture
Mary Gragg, Grade 11, China: Ethnic Minorities and Contemporary Culture
Morgan Krajanowski, Grade 11, Japan: Japanimation—Anime and Manga
Marathon High School:
Abigail Franck, Grade 10, Germany: Contemporary Politics and the European Union
Amber Romance, Grade 10, France: French Culture and Regional Identity
John Sheagren, Grade 11, Ecuador: The Galápagos Islands and the Andes
“In addition to the 15 essay winners, The Experiment has three other Monroe County students participating this summer in three other countries through three additional Experiment programs.”
“One student, Divya Navani, a 9th grader at Key West High School, received a prestigious full scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Only five students nationwide received scholarships from this foundation for our programs, and Divya will participate in our Argentina: Community Service and the Great Outdoors program,” Dr. Morehouse said.
“We also have 36 more applications from students affiliated with Take Stock in Children,” Beard said.
“We’re preparing for about 40 participants from The Keys this summer, so 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,” Dr. Morehouse said.
“Monroe’s students will depart beginning on June 27th 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, a program of World Learning, has been offering immersive experiential learning programs abroad since 1932. Today, The Experiment offers immersive three-, four-, and five-week summer programs for high school students in Europe; the Americas; Africa, south of the Sahara; North Africa and the Middle East; and Asia and the Pacific. Students are challenged to explore the host country through hands-on experiences 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 President, 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.
World Learning is a nonprofit organization advancing leadership through education, exchange, and development programs in more than 60 countries.