EducationUSA Summer Academy 2017
For High School Students
EducationUSA
Academy is a component of EducationUSA, the U.S. Department of
State-supported network of over 400 advising centers in more than 170 countries
around the world that provide prospective international students with accurate,
current, and comprehensive information about U.S. higher education.
The EducationUSA
Academy is a three-to-four-week summer academic program for non-native English
speaking students who range in age from 15 to 17 and reside outside of the
United States. Students receive an overview of secondary and higher education
systems in the United States and the U.S. college/university admissions
process, develop critical thinking and leadership skills, and participate in enriching cultural and social activities.
The EducationUSA Academy’s goal is to create
a new pipeline to U.S. higher education for international high school students
who may not have otherwise considered studying in the United States by
providing them with information and skills to apply to, and be successful as
undergraduates at, U.S. higher education institutions.
Three scholarships were provided by the U.S.
Embassy in Bulgaria, and supported by the services of the EducationUSA Advising
Center at the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission. The Center conducted an
EducationUSA Academy competition and helped the students prepare for departure
to the U.S.
From July 9-August 5, 2017, three
high school students represented Bulgaria at the EducationUSA Academy 2017.
Gabriela Mankova represented Bulgaria at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Amherst, MA. Teodora Yosifova and Hakmet Ahmedov
represented Bulgaria at Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
MSU
EducationUSA Academy
July 9
- August 4, 2017
The EducationUSA Academy at Montana State
University had a truly unique group of students creating a terrific Academy! The
program was a packed experiences including: campus tours and opportunities for the students to
speak with several different college admissions teams, intense coursework in
ESL and higher education, family homestays, volunteering at the local food
bank, speaking at a Rotary International meeting, and interacting with other
high school and college students at MSU. Academically the students worked
closely with instructors to write two different essays including (a) a personal
statement for college applications and (b) MSU EducationUSA Academy reflection
essay. Lastly the students created scholarship application videos which
involved writing scripts, capturing video footage, conducting interviews, and
editing the footage to create their own application videos. The students did a
lot in the month they were at Montana State University and the Academy was an
amazing experience for them. Following are their MSU EducationUSA
Academy reflection essays.
Teodora Yosifova
Junior, "Hristo Botev" Foreign Language
High School, Kardzhali
I
have always thought visiting the United States is impossible but participating
in the EducationUSA Academy proved me wrong. After a month in Bozeman, Montana
I am leaving this magnificent place with a lot of new skills, knowledge,
memories and friendships. Education USA was one of the best experiences in my
life and a dream come true.
The main purpose of the program was to introduce us to American culture and
higher education. Before coming here I had already been
introduced to it because it is everywhere - from songs and
movies to social media. I expected Americans to be nice and kind and they were
exactly what I had imagined, even better. For the time I have been here I
received nothing but warmness from the Americans, everyone
is willing to help you and make yourself feel at home.
After the contribution of EducationUSA I actually
consider applying to an American university. I learned that it is not impossible to
study in the US, that American colleges offer great scholarships and many
opportunities. Visiting different types of colleges and universities helped me
make up my mind about what type of higher educational institution I want to
study in. I am now aware of the pros and cons of studying in a smaller or a bigger institution. American universities offer a huge variety
of undergraduate programs which would make it a lot easier to find the best one for me.
EcucationUSA proved to me that teamwork makes the
dream work. One of the skills I gained in the program is working in a team. In
and out of class, we were always encouraged to work in groups. As part of the
team in class, I would push myself to the limit by taking in my classmates’
advice and knowledge. I developed a
higher level of critical thinking and broadened my horizons. Where I found
teamwork useful out of class was at the Food Bank Service Learning. We
volunteered at Bozeman’s Food Shelter and together we packed almost 500 kg of
pasta in just an hour. This is a big achievement for a bunch of high school
students who were doing that for the first time.
One
of the experiences I am extremely grateful for is getting to know my
international classmates. They represented their countries in a great way and I
learned a lot from them. Even though our cultures were different we were able
to create a strong bond which resulted in friendships we will maintain for a
long time after we leave. I will miss everyone and I hope that the German
saying “You always meet twice in a lifetime” is
true.
Another
factor that contributed to my pleasant stay in the United States was Montana’s
nature. We visited Yellowstone National Park, one of the most magnificent
natural beauties in North America, the first national park ever created. We saw
some of the park’s best tourist attractions, but the smaller sites were equally
as impressive. You could be walking along and all of a sudden you’d come up on
a natural hot spring that has created some of the most beautiful colors due to
the different minerals in the water. Other than
Yellowstone, the state is famous for its outdoor activities and we were able to
taste them, too. We hiked trails in
the Rocky Mountains and went sailing in Hyalite Lake -
all of these activities kept us enthusiastic for what was ahead of us.
EducationUSA
Academy gave me so much. I improved not only my academic skills, but also my
way of seeing the world.
I feel like a global citizen after interacting with many different people from
all around the world. I am grateful for each person I met along my way in the journey called EducationUSA, because you are the ones
responsible for who I am right now. Thank you for everything!
Disclaimer
The text is published in its original and unedited version.
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| Yellow Stone National Park |
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| World Museum of Mining |
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| Montana State University |
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| Graduation ceremony |
Hakmet Ahmedov
Sophomore, "Ekzarh Yosif" FLHS, Razgrad
Education USA Academy was one of the
most interesting experiences in my life. This was my biggest achievement and
for me everything about the program was fantastic.
During the program I was able to connect
with many different people from various countries. The participants in the
academy were from all over the world. Together we were able to exchange
experience, we learned about each other’s countries and culture and we had a
wonderful time full of happiness and joy.
Firstly,
the organization of the program was perfect as we were really able to immerse
ourselves in the language, culture and life of Americans. I got a better view
of the education system, and for the past month I learned what it means to be a
college student in the States. Here at Montana State University we were able to visit
many places and did a lot of activities not only related with the language, but
also the community and
culture of Bozeman and Montana. I found the classes really interesting and
useful because I was able to improve my language as a whole and I learned new
methods and ways of writing. As we were practicing and improving we also
developed and grew as a group. Something really unique was the teambuilding and
leadership classes in which we learned the importance of collaboration. Throughout
the challenges we realized the importance of succeeding as a team rather as an
individual.
Together
we visited Yellowstone with its wonderful natural sights and species: the
geothermal lakes, the amazing water cascades, the fascinating geysers, the
breathless view of the Yellowstone canyon and its gigantic waterfall. There are
no words that can explain this magical, pristine nature. We visited the World
Museum of Mining and we were able to see the conditions in which miners worked
back at the time. Our trips to the nearby cities allowed us to get a better
understanding of the community and atmosphere of Montana. We visited different
universities and each of them was unique in their own way. We saw the various
opportunities for education and we learned a lot of things related to American
Higher Education. On our trips we went with people from different programs and
we were able to share our experiences together. For example, when we traveled
to the capital of the state Helena we went with the LEAPers, Japanese
representatives of universities who came to the US to learn about the education
system and bring back something to their countries in order to improve the universities
for which they worked. On our trip I sat with such representative and this was
one of the most valuable experiences. We were able to share our interests and
made a comparison between our countries. We discussed our future endeavors and
plans. We talked about our lives and we were able to learn a lot about each
other. I will always remember this person – his name was Kei Tanaka and despite
the differences we had, we found a lot of similarities and
we shared some similar ideas. This whole experience helped me to broaden my
horizon even more and created in me even a bigger wish to visit Japan. Another meaningful connection which I had was with the
students from Okinawa. We played games and had fun together. There I made a new
amazing friend with whom I will definitely keep connection even after years.
Secondly, I have to mention the contribution
and devotion of all the staff and organizers who did their best to make this
program my most wonderful experience. Since the start, they were very welcoming
and helpful. I found the answers to all of my questions and now because of
their fantastic work I have a better vision of the American Higher Education. I
am very thankful for everything they did and I really value their useful advice
because now I have more information about the application process, scholarships
and student support.
Education USA was a dream come true. This was
one of the most wonderful adventures in my life. I met all these interesting
people and from strangers we became one big family. My decision of applying to
the program was one of my best life choices. I felt connected with everyone and
everything here. Bozeman became a second home for me for this month full of joy
and fun. I will never forget this fantastic experience and this place, and the
people that I met here will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you
for everything, I really value your contribution, help and advice! I will
always remember you and have great memories of my unbelievable experience here
at Montana State University.
Disclaimer
The text is published in its original and unedited version.
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| Yellow Stone National Park |
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| Food Bank service learning |
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| Hyalite Lake |
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| EducaionUSA Academy class |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
EducationUSA Academy
EducationUSA Academy
Gabriela Mankova
Sophomore, "Hristo Botev" FLHS, Kardzhali
It
was a dream of mine to visit the USA someday and I now can say that I have
achieved that dream. My staying in the USA was not ordinary. EducationUSA
Academy and the Bulgarian American Commission for Educational Exchange
Fulbright gave me an opportunity to spend a month in an American university,
learn more about the education system in the USA, live in a dorm with an
American roommate, have a class of international students, meet great people,
and make many unforgettable memories.
My
time in the USA was spent at theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. During
this one month, each week from Monday to Friday I had classes from 9am to 4pm.
My classmates were international students from Kuwait, Honduras, Ecuador, the
UAE, China, Georgia, Libya, Canada, Vietnam, Russia, and Japan. All of them
were very ambitious, hardworking, willing to work and learn new things with new
people. The teacher of our class, Stephanie Brown, was very knowledgeable,
friendly, and helpful. We had classes for SAT and TOEFL preparation, which were
very beneficial for me, because Stephanie not only made us practice taking SAT
and TOEFL, but also gave us good advice on how to have better results on these
exams. We also worked on our college essays, common application, CV, and looked
for colleges. This helped me have a clearer idea of my academic goals.
Furthermore,
Stephanie’s classes were interactive and interesting, she often made us work in
groups, share ideas, state our opinion and make researches. But it was not only
hard work, there were many fun moments too, such as when we created our class
handshake, had different contests, played SET and Bananagrams, had visitors,
made presentations, etc. We learned new things about American culture and
particularly New England by taking quizzes, searching information or asking
natives.
On
the weekends we had field trips. They were very well organized and we had a lot
of fun. The first one was Farm to Table Field Trip to two local farms. That day
we ate ice cream made in Cook Farm and saw the cows there, had a tour in
Barstow’s Farm, and ended the day in Look Park with pedal boating, and playing
mini-golf. On the second weekend we went to Emily Dickenson’s house. The third
field trip was to the amusement park Six Flags New England and the last one was
a trip to Boston. During the trips we saw interesting things, like automated
robotic cow milker, the house of Emily Dickenson’s brother, the Museum of
Science in Boston. We also had firsthand experience with American culture
during the trips and on campus, too.
All
in all, this was the best experience in my life.Being an international student
for one month, and working with other international students was inspiring.
Travelling alone to the USA and living there in a dorm showed me that I can
take care of myself. I now feel ready to face the challenges of higher
education in the U.S.
Disclaimer
The text is published in its original and unedited version.
