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The Next Generation of Allies Is Sitting in American Classrooms
The Wissel family of Lee’s Summit, Missouri opened their home to two international exchange students, Arthur and Justus, through the U.S. Department of State’s BridgeUSA program. Over 10 months, they shared everyday American life — from football games to family dinners — and built bonds that transcended borders. This story shows how cultural exchange creates the next generation of global allies, one classroom at a time.
BridgeUSA Strengthens America Through International Exchange
For the past 17 years, Worlds of Fun amusement park has worked with CIEE to welcome approximately 3,000 BridgeUSA participants as seasonal employees through the U.S. Department of State’s Summer Work Travel program.
Diplomacy and Exchange: BridgeUSA Participants Bring Magic to American Summer Camps
BridgeUSA Camp Counselor Program enriches U.S. summer camps with global cultural exchange, benefiting both campers and counselors.
Bridging Cultures: Vaidas Petrulis's Journey Through 20th Century Lithuanian Architecture in the U.S.
Vaidas Petrulis, a Lithuanian historian, and researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, traveled to the U.S. in May 2023 after receiving a CIEE-administered scholarship from the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (BAFF) to explore how Lithuanian refugees in the 20th Century utilized architecture to express their identity and contribute to their communities across the U.S.
Bridging Cultures: Bella's Journey from Brazil to Iowa and Beyond
With help from CIEE, 18-year-old Brazilian student Izabella Casagrande was placed with a host family in Dubuque, Iowa through the Department of State's BridgeUSA Secondary School Student program.
Bridging Worlds: Jessica Sharkey's BridgeUSA Experience
Before coming to America, Jessica Sharkey had never heard of Nebraska. A native of Donegal, Ireland, Jessica arrived in the United States with a plan to leverage her major in... keep reading
Bridging Cultures, Breaking Barriers: Emir Pusurov's American Dream
When asked to sum up his exchange experience in a few words, 18-year-old Emir Pusurov calls his time in America “my year of opportunities.” Emir, a high school student from... keep reading
BridgeUSA Alum Authors Book to Raise Awareness for Neurodivergent Children
Andrea Villasmil is a multifaceted, young entrepreneur from Ecuador who participated in CIEE’s Work & Travel USA (WAT) program as part of BridgeUSA in 2015. Then a 21-year-old Clinical Psychology... keep reading
Bridging Cultures: Eleni Kosmidou's Journey with the Ambassadors Fund Scholarship
20-year-old Eleni Kosmidou remembers feeling “a roller coaster of emotions” as she boarded her plane in Thessaloniki, Greece, and prepared for a life-changing journey across the Atlantic. She was about... keep reading