2026 High School Study Abroad Conference–Day One

Yesterday, nearly 400 U.S. educators and CIEE staff from around the world gathered for the first day of the High School Study Abroad Conference to explore the theme, “Graduating Global Citizens Through Educationally-Aligned Study Abroad.”  
 

Opening Plenary 

James Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE, opened the weekend by sharing CIEE’s history and ongoing commitment to advancing peace, democratizing study abroad opportunities for all students, and problem-solving.  

He highlighted the powerful outcomes associated with study abroad, citing research showing that students who participate gain valuable skills, achieve stronger academic outcomes, and become more globally engaged citizens:

“If you sum up the research that has been done around the impact of study abroad, here’s what it will tell you: that the impact is exactly what we’re both hoping for. Students that study abroad have improved GPAs and persistence in graduation rates. They have improved skills, the soft skills that are sought by employers, like persistence, adaptability, teamwork, and problem-solving. They even have improved starting salaries, and they have lower rates of long-term unemployment, and, according to one study, they have improved civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, and global engagement.”  

He also spoke to CIEE’s impact through Global Navigator High School Study Abroad programs:  

"Since we launched the Global Navigator High School Study Abroad program in 2015, more than 27,000 American high school students have traveled abroad with CIEE. 20,000 of these students traveled with a scholarship."

Pellow closed with an invitation for collaboration:  

“We know the work is not done. In all of these numbers... Less than 3% of American high school students study abroad each year. Can we get it to six? Can we get it to 10%? We’re here to listen. So we would love to hear you speak up, participate in the sessions, and really engage in creating some problems that we might help you solve in the coming years.” 
 

Following James Pellow’s address, Matt Redman, Vice President of High School Study Abroad at CIEE, introduced the “Fun, Friends, Future” approach used for High School Study Abroad programs: 

• Fun: “Everybody who works with teenagers knows that they want to have fun, and we work with them on that.”
• Friends: “We know that one of the biggest drivers of teen brains is friends...Students meet friends from all over the country when they go on our programs, and it’s really important that they have the chance to do that.”
• Future: “We provide teens with opportunities for hands-on exploration of new topics or existing topics that they would not get the chance to see or feel outside of the classroom. We really bring that to life.”

Partner Awards

Joanna Blanck, Executive Director of High School Study Abroad at CIEE, presented awards recognizing CIEE partner schools’ outstanding dedication and support for high school study abroad programs. Each award recipient received one $5,000 scholarship for a student to study abroad on a CIEE High School Semester Abroad or Gap Year Abroad program:    

Global Navigator Movement Awards 

This award celebrates the largest percentage of the student body participating in study abroad at a small school (enrollment under 1,500 students) and a large school (enrollment over 1,500 students), respectively.

• West Seattle High School (WA), accepted by Meghan Schumacher 
• Central High School (PA), accepted by Rachel Rodriguez and David Francis-Mauer 

Growth in Study Abroad Awards 

This award recognizes schools with the largest year-over-year increase in travelers at a small school and a large school. 

• Bard High School Early College Manhattan (NY), accepted by Jasmine Coombs 
• Oak Park and River Forest High School (IL), accepted by Jessica Howell and Paula Cano 
   

Global Citizenship Award 

This award honors the school that supports CIEE study abroad programs across the high school experience—summer, semester, and academic year. 

• East High School (CO), accepted by Audry Maddox 

CIEE Awards

Blanck also recognized CIEE centers and instructors who bring programs to life and deliver excellent programs.  

Center Excellence Award 

This award celebrates the program that receives the highest student ratings for opportunities to experience and engage with the local culture and community beyond the classroom.​

• CIEE Rabat for Arabic Language & Moroccan Culture, presented to Madiha Chafik  
   

CIEE Instructor Awards 

This award recognizes CIEE instructors for their dedicated service and exceptional commitment to continually creating meaningful, high-quality learning experiences for students.

• Spanish Language & Culture in Madrid, presented to Pedro Morote 
• Diplomacy and Government in Amsterdam, presented to Bruno Rocha 

Scholarship Awards

Celebrating the momentum behind our summer study abroad programs, CIEE picked an additional five schools at random from participants in attendance, awarding each of them one $5,000 scholarship per school for a student to study abroad on a CIEE High School Semester Abroad or Gap Year Abroad program: 

•  Greely High School (ME)  
•  Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DC)  
•  Pender Early College High School (NC)  
•  The Pine School
• Bard High School Early College Bronx (NY)
   

Additionally, every school attending the conference received a voucher for one student to attend a semester of CIEE College First Year Abroad for $4,040, reinforcing CIEE’s commitment to expanding access to transformative global learning experiences for all students! 

Opening Keynote 

Bestselling author Jeff Selingo delivered the opening keynote address, reinforcing a theme that resonated throughout the conference: preparing students for the future requires more than academic achievement. He challenged attendees to rethink the traditional definitions of success, noting that students will be best served by developing adaptability, problem-solving skills, and the confidence to navigate ambiguity. 

By encouraging exploration, experiential learning, and meaningful human connections, educators can help students develop the adaptability and global perspective needed to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. As the future of work continues to evolve, he argued that experiences that build curiosity, resilience, and real-world skills, such as study abroad, are among the most powerful tools for helping students discover who they are and what they want to contribute to the world. 

Breakout Sessions: Inside CIEE Programs  

Attendees heard directly from CIEE instructors during afternoon breakout sessions. Each presentation, led by CIEE instructors and High School Study Abroad academic staff, provided an inside look at CIEE High School Summer Abroad programs and how they align with U.S. high school academic standards.  

Sessions included overviews of: 

• Arts & Culture topic programs, exploring how CIEE combines creative expression, cultural exploration, and experiential learning to help students connect with local communities while developing artistic skills.
• French Language & Culture programs, with CIEE staff from Paris, Rennes, and Toulouse.
• Leadership & Service topic programs, learning how instructors combine community engagement, service-learning, and structured reflection to help students address real-world challenges alongside local partners.
• Social Change and Business topic programs, discovering how CIEE programs utilize experiential learning, design thinking, and engagement with local stakeholders to examine entrepreneurship and innovation in action.
• Spanish Language & Culture programs, with CIEE staff from Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Mérida.
• STEM topic programs, learning how CIEE programs use project-based learning, fieldwork, and classroom instruction to help students investigate real-world questions.

Each session included a short, interactive activity demo from the CIEE curriculum, equipping educators with ready-to-use strategies and activities they can adapt for their classrooms.   

Meet CIEE Mixer 

Attendees got the chance to meet the CIEE teams behind our students and learn more about how we support students and partners every step of the way.  

Offsite Reception: Monarch Rooftop Skylight Lounge 

The day concluded with an evening reception at Monarch Rooftop’s Skylight Lounge, where participants continued their conversations and enjoyed views of New York City.