Building Bridges to Latin America: Meet Our First Fellows Abroad

Thank you for encouraging CIEE to invest in helping more students study abroad in Latin America. Your passion led to CIEE’s commitment to Leading Change in Study Abroad in Latin America. 

One part of that commitment is to offer the most affordable programs during this year of Latin America. You can see the full list of CIEE Study Abroad Programs in Latin America along with comparative pricing here.

A second part of that commitment is to fund 100 full semester scholarships and a living stipend of $2,000 for college students in the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Our hope is that these CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Fellows will tell their stories and encourage their peers to embrace the magic of Latin America through a future study abroad experience. We’re pleased to share with you highlights from the fall cohort of Fellows.

The inaugural class of Latin America Fellows, representing 25 different colleges, has arrived for semester-long adventures in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. They’ve been tasked with sharing their story to inspire others to follow in their footsteps, and they’re giving it their all. 

Their first assignment was to introduce themselves and their goals for the semester, such as the post below from Duncan Gallagher of Western Washington University, who is studying in Santiago. We meet his cat Jelly Doughnut Gallagher, “an absolute diva”, and learn about the museums and other sites he hopes to visit. (Who know there was a restaurant named after Bill Clinton?) 

The Fellows are capturing the excitement of their first 24 hours abroad, like Tziavi Melendez from Tufts University, creating the video below on her way to Merida. 

They’re sharing their favorite discoveries, like Sophia Neal from California Polytechnic, who posted the list below of what she loves about Buenos Aires.
 

And they’re documenting what a typical day looks like, such as the post below from Sarah Cavallaro of Central Michigan University, who’s in Buenos Aires this fall.

We've seen an incredible surge of excitement from our Fellows, and are confident this will spark a tidal wave of interest in studying abroad in Latin America. 

Help us ignite this movement by encouraging your students to apply for the spring cohort.