CHI is pleased to announce the first winners of the Jackie Sant-Myerhoff Scholarship, Claudia Recalde and Elvira de la Fuente, high school exchange students from CHI’s long time Spanish partner, Juventud y Cultura.
Jackie Sant-Myerhoff, Director of CHI’s Educational Programs, passed away in 2015. A committed champion of student exchange programs, Jackie believed overseas high school students are deeply affected by their exchange experiences while living in the U.S. and go on to become future world leaders. CHI created the Jackie Sant-Myerhoff Scholarship to honor her lifetime contribution to student exchange.
Our first recipients of this award, Claudia Recalde and Elvira de la Fuente are exceptional young people who look forward to their exchange year in the U.S.
Claudia will spend her academic year in Lodi, California. About her upcoming exchange, Claudia says, “I feel as though many Americans believe that anything is possible, that you can do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone you want. I would like to bring this positive way of thinking back to my country to encourage those that surround me and challenge them to achieve goals.”
Elvira heads to Ferndale, Washington. Elvira wants to spend a school year studying in the US because, “the United States is at the forefront of technical and scientific knowledge in the world. I think this is going to be a great opportunity to improve my knowledge and make new transatlantic friends, meet interesting people, learn more about the USA and its people, and understand the country better.”
Cultural Homestay International operates eleven cultural exchange programs throughout the United States and around the world. Since 1980, CHI has brought more than 300,000 students to the U.S. from 136 countries, welcomed by over 150,000 American host families. CHI’s mission is to promote international understanding and goodwill through people-to-people exchanges, believing that the best way to build bridges of friendship and trust among people is to experience personally each other’s customs, languages and values.
Meet Claudia and Elvira and read their winning essays
Claudia’s Essay
Elvira’s Essay