On May 18, University Prep will welcome students from Colegio San José in Barranquilla, Colombia. After returning from spring break, some UPrep students returned with stories of their own international travels.

Junior Maddie Takamiya was excited to travel to Shin Min High School in Taichung, Taiwan in hopes of practicing her Mandarin. Takamiya enjoyed the connections she made with her host family and other students from Shin Min. She had fun playing volleyball with their school volleyball club in a UPrep vs. Shin Min game.

“It was great because we didn’t really have to speak any language very much,” Takamiya said. “We kind of just started shouting if we wanted the ball, so it was just an activity that surpassed any language barrier.”

Senior Hebaq Farah had a similar experience with language on her trip to Colombia. She doesn’t think the language barrier took away from her travel experience.

“We just found ways to communicate besides verbal communication,” Farah said. “My host mom would get me gifts and candies, which I was very appreciative of, and I got to practice my understanding of Spanish with my host dad who would tell jokes and teach me about Colombia’s history.”

Farah applied to UPrep’s Global Link program because she was looking for a unique experience. 

“I got to not only visit a new country but also got the opportunity to gain a host family that would give me the most authentic experience,” Farah said. “I am so thankful to all of our host siblings who welcomed us with open arms and became friends that we still stay in contact with.”

Global and Outdoor Programs Manager Kate Williams thinks that Global Link is very beneficial in creating cross-cultural connections.

“It’s an opportunity to try something new to meet people from a different context and place yourself in that context,” Williams said. “It’s a different skill set and a different form of intelligence that you can develop and apply in many different areas of life.”

Williams is proud that most of our connections with other schools come from within our community.

“A teacher might know somebody or have worked somewhere, and through those connections, we find and foster relationships,” Williams said.

Williams also thinks that the relationships developed between students are much more meaningful because schools Global Link travels to also send students to UPrep.

“I think that is something that’s really special and a testament to the quality of the exchange is that it becomes an effort on all of us. It’s a shared experience, and that’s really cool,” Williams said.

Takamiya recommends students interested in Global Link to apply, even if they are nervous.

“I think that being nervous was a part of the process, and you kind of had to lean into being a little bit uncomfortable,” Takamiya said. “I think that’s when it gives you the most room to grow.”