CIEE Latin America Fellow Spotlight: Milad Khezrefaridi
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Meet the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Student Fellows!
Follow along as CIEE sends 100 student leaders on a fully-funded semester abroad through the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Fellowship. In this series, we spotlight Fellows as they immerse themselves in Latin American culture, grow as leaders, and prepare to make an impact worldwide.
Name: Milad Khezrefaridi
School: The University of Texas at Austin
Major: Mechanical Engineering
LATAM Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica
Q1: What does receiving this award mean to you personally?
Receiving this fellowship means that I have others who believe I have the capabilities to create an impact on others as a leader. I feel a personal responsibility to use this opportunity to the best of my ability to help spread the culture and passion of Costa Rica and its people with the world in hopes to create a positive change. Receiving this fellowship has given me confidence to pursue my desire to share with others the many beautiful ideas and spectacles in Costa Rica that have long been overlooked.
Swipe here: Milad shares stunning photos he took for his Nature Photography class
Q2: How do you hope your language skills develop/grow while living in Latin America?
I hope to exponentially grow my Spanish speaking skills while living in Costa Rica. I want to return home with the ability to converse and connect with others through Spanish. My dad is a big influence. He pushed the idea on me that it is entirely up to me and myself to take advantage of this opportunity and expose myself as much as I can to the language here. Thus, I am taking every opportunity to rely on my current Spanish abilities and converse with the staff and locals here in Monteverde. Although at times it is embarrassing to try and speak a new language with others, overcoming that embarrassment and pushing yourself to keep practicing is the best way to learn.
Q3: In what ways do you hope to grow as a leader during this program?
During this program I hope to become the type of person that takes initiative towards goals and doesn’t contemplate over the minor challenges that are in the way. In my eyes, a good leader is someone who is passionate about a goal and who inspires others to follow along. By eradicating procrastination and by having faith in yourself to achieve something, you are displaying attributes that inspire others to take the same productive steps towards their own goals in life. Therefore, during this program I want to grow into that person, that leader, that follows through with their word and inspires others to do the same in the process.
Q4: How do you plan to use what you learn abroad to make a difference in your community back home?
While I have been here in Costa Rica I have been learning a lot about how important it is to take measures in daily life to help our world revert back to its natural state that allows for a sustainable future. Currently a lot of what we (society) do is exhaustive of natural resources. When I go back home I want to take the practices I have learned from the people in Costa Rica to influence a sustainable future. To take it a step further, I am interested in working with my school to see if there are any ways to implement a system to reduce food waste in dining halls. Lastly, I hope that the knowledge and consciousness of working to be more synergetic with the environment will allow me to implement more sustainable measures in my future work with engineering.
Swipe here: Milad goes on a weekend excursion to Manuel Antonio through CIEE
Q5: What parting advice do you have for other students who want to apply for this opportunity for spring 2026?
One hour now can influence the trajectory of your entire life. An opportunity like this will be something that will impact your life in ways that not many other things have the ability to do. Stop pondering on little doubts and “what ifs” and just do the application. The risk is that you lose an hour of your time, but the reward is an experience to travel the world, make so many new friends, and experience a lifestyle that you otherwise would not ever get to. When I initially saw this opportunity I thought about it for a few weeks before applying (which caused me to almost miss the deadline). I am grateful I did just take the time to fill out the application though because now I am in Costa Rica, going on adventures with new friends, learning a new language, and understanding how life can be so much different than the way I lived in my hometown. So, stop thinking and just apply.
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