🎉 Happy International Study Abroad Day!
Dear Friends of Blessed to Be a Blessing,
Today, Feb 26th, is the 5th official International Study Abroad Day. Created in 2019, Study Abroad Day began with one goal: To raise awareness for Study Abroad and its lasting impact on student travelers, university and college campuses, and the global community. We at B2baB are excited to participate in Study Abroad Day as we continue our mission to create equal access to international education and cross-cultural opportunities for Metro Denver students.
To celebrate Study Abroad Day, we announced our first-ever Summer Study Abroad Scholarship, which blesses two local students with $500 towards their study abroad experiences this upcoming summer. If you know any eligible students, please guide them to the programs page on our website.
Speaking of Scholarship Recipients, we welcomed Daphney back two months ago from her semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea. Daphney has enjoyed her time back home with family but misses her newfound friends and experiences from abroad.
Of her time abroad, Daphney shares:
“Studying abroad was one of the best experiences I've had as a college student, meeting many new people, and forming connections I hope to maintain. As an exchange student in South Korea, I was fortunate to be part of Yonsei University in Sinchon, Seoul, which became my home for the fall semester. The campus was expansive and beautiful, adorned with lush greenery and plant life. Each day, I enjoyed the picturesque walk to class, passing through a small forest that added to the serenity of the environment.”
Moving Forward in 2024 - Programs
As you saw, the spring scholarship is now open. Additionally, we will begin utilizing two new programs: What’s Next? - a program to help students process and develop time abroad into professional skills for the future, and Parent Information Sessions - to more closely work with parents to serve their children best and develop at-home knowledge and support towards international education and cross-cultural opportunities within the community.
Global Access Passport (GAP) Program
As this program has grown in popularity, we are working to bring GAP as a regularly occurring program in DPS high schools and with other partners. With increased popularity comes increased demand, and we are working to double our total number of program participants by the end of the summer. We are currently developing program plans for another one-day program with Colorado Uplift's Advanced Leadership Students and a multi-day program at Denver East High School.
To run both programs successfully, we need your help!
We currently have funding for five students in each program, but we would like ten participants each. Would you consider donating to help us add ten students to these programs? With $240 covering the costs of the passport, photos, application, and program fees, we seek $2,400 in total.
In hopes of longevity, we hope to gain ten annual Passport Sponsor donors to guarantee regular program funding. If you want to support a student in the GAP Program, please click HERE.
We are excited for 2024 and the opportunities to increase our impact on international education for local students, with goals of more than doubling the number of passports granted and scholarship amounts awarded and expanding the programs offered further to guide students through international experiences to successful careers ahead.
Thank you for being a vital part of our journey. We look forward to keeping you up to date with our progress.
With gratitude,
Shawn Wall
Founder& Executive Director
Blessed to Be a Blessing