The American Exchange Project (AEP) lets in contemporary highschool graduates to commute throughout the nation at no non-public value. Last July, BEA graduates Valentin Alvarado, Ella Bahr, Tesla Bena Hernandez, Priscilla Cuevas and Mateaus Sanchez went on their journeys to California, Texas, New York and Massachusetts. Above, Ella is pictured some distance proper in Dallas, Texas.
Blue Earth lately welcomed a bunch of alternate scholars from throughout the nation as a part of its participation in the American Exchange Project (AEP).
However, the alternate program is going each tactics. Last July, it was once 5 BEA graduates’ flip to fly throughout the nation and uncover some position new.
The BEA School District is the first district in Minnesota to take part in the AEP program, which provides contemporary highschool graduates the alternative to commute to communities throughout the nation at no non-public value.
The program is designed to reveal scholars to communities that are other from their very own. Ideally, their travels will introduce them to new other folks, places, meals, stories and concepts - all inside the United States’ borders.
Participating scholars can discuss with one among over 50 communities throughout the nation, from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, to Albany, California; from Anchorage, Alaska, to Paris, Texas.
Blue Earth’s visiting AEP scholars hailed from New York City, New York; Albany, California; Meridian, Idaho; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Anchorage, Alaska.
Meanwhile, BEA graduates Grady Bahr, Maia Bahr, Sara Hernandez, Angel Martinez and Seth Levenhagen traveled to Vermont, Delaware, Louisiana, and Colorado previous this summer season.
You can examine their AEP adventures in a prior factor of the Register.
The newest BEA scholars to embark upon their alternate journeys have been Valentin Alvarado, Ella Bahr, Tesla Bena Hernandez, Priscilla Cuevas and Mateaus Sanchez
Valentin traveled to Albany, California, and Ella, Tesla, Priscilla and Mateaus advised us all about their journeys to Texas, New York and Massachusetts. Read on to be informed about their travels.
Ella Bahr
Dallas, Texas
Prospective AEP scholars can craft a ‘top five’ record of locations they want to discover.
Ella says Texas was once on her unique ‘top five’ record, and that was once the place she went on July 19.
Ella anticipated sizzling warmth when she headed to the Lone Star State.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations to that,” she laughs.
She additionally anticipated Dallas to be a larger town than her fatherland of Blue Earth, which grew to become out to be the case.
“Compared to Blue Earth, there were so many different roadways,” Ella says. “I could never imagine driving around there.”
Ella and her fellow AEP vacationers stayed in an Airbnb. They have been a bunch of 7 in general, with scholars from the Midwest, like Ella, in addition to Colorado and Maine.
Among different issues, the itinerary paid homage to the Dallas Cowboys and Cheerleaders.
“We got to see a lot of the stadiums they had there for baseball and football,” Ella recollects. “We went on a tour of everything, including the Dallas Cheerleaders’ locker room.”
The workforce additionally looked at some museums in the space, together with the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which chronicles the assassination and legacy of John F. Kennedy, and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.
Ella returned to Blue Earth on July 26 feeling glad along with her enjoy.
“I think my favorite part was being around all the people from there,” she says. “For someone who hasn’t been able to go to a lot of places in the U.S., it was really cool to be able to go somewhere else and see all of the things that the U.S. has to offer.”
Ella concludes, “At first, I was a little anxious about going. But then I got there and realized I get to meet all these people, and do all these things, and it’s completely free.”
Tesla Bena Hernandez
New York City, New York
Tesla headed to the Big Apple on July 5 with one transparent goal in thoughts.
“I just knew they had good pizza,” she remembers.
In hindsight, Tesla says she did pattern some excellent pizza in New York City. She additionally says she was once shocked by way of the sheer selection of other folks the town holds.
“I didn’t expect how crowded it was,” she says. “It’s a lot different from Minnesota.”
Tesla stayed with a bunch of six AEP scholars in an Airbnb. Many of her roommates have been from southern states, together with Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
They stored busy with a wide selection of actions, together with a discuss with to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The workforce additionally visited Governors Island, and, in fact, tried to pattern as many various varieties of pizza as they may.
Tesla says the most pleasurable a part of the commute was once experiencing a brand new tradition and surroundings.
She provides, “Going to New York was my first time leaving the state on a plane by myself. It makes me want to travel more. If I have the chance to save up, I think I would go back to New York.”
Priscilla Cuevas
Gloucester,
Massachusetts
On July 19, Priscilla flew to the East Coast to stick with two different AEP scholars in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Priscilla and her fellow AEP vacationers - who have been from Texas and Arizona – skilled a real seaside vacation in the Bay State.
Although Priscilla had anticipated blustery, cold climate on the East Coast, she stories that if truth be told, the climate was once in the prime 80s.
“We went lobstering and caught lobster and crabs on a boat,” she remembers. The workforce additionally went snorkeling, performed seaside volleyball, and went cliff leaping and whale staring at.
“Every single activity was outside,” Priscilla says.
The simplest indoor task was once a commute to Hammond Castle Museum, a century-old construction constructed by way of inventor John Hays Hammond Jr.
Priscilla introduced house reminiscences of a shockingly tight-knit neighborhood when she left Gloucester, regardless of its dimension.
“Our host family knew everyone, even though it was a big town,” she recollects.
After having finished her commute, Priscilla says she is happy she signed up for the alternative.
“I think it’s more important to travel when you’re younger – it’s more freeing,” she says. “It’s harder to travel when you’re older.”
Mateaus Sanchez
Oak Cliff, Texas
Mateaus anticipated a foray into ‘cowboy culture’ when he departed for the Oak Cliff, Texas space on July 19.
“As cheesy as it is,” he provides. “It wasn’t really like that. In some ways it was similar to Minnesota.”
However, Mateaus says the Oak Cliff space was once extra city than Blue Earth, and its dimension supposed there was once much less of the ‘small town’ tradition he’s used to in Minnesota.
“In Minnesota, everyone knows everybody,” he explains.
Mateaus and a bunch of six different AEP scholars from South Dakota, Nashville, New Jersey, Georgia and Idaho stayed with an AEP Program supervisor in Texas, and their host stored them busy.
The workforce looked at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and an indoor water park. They additionally took phase in ‘Barbenheimer Weekend’ – the simultaneous free up of the blockbuster movies ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ on July 21.
And, the workforce visited the Fort Worth Stockyards.
“It’s a pretty big area of cattle drives,” Mateaus says. “It’s a mix of a cattle drive area and a mall.”
Additionally, the scholars volunteered with the All-Stars Project of Dallas, an after-school program for deprived formative years.
Mateaus says that obtaining to fulfill new other folks was once one among his favourite portions of the enjoy.
“The first day or so, I could definitely tell everybody was closed-off, or at least nervous, because we were from such diverse areas of the country,” he recollects. “As the days went on, we all clicked and found ways that we could relate.”
He provides he’s happy he signed up for the AEP program, although touring solo throughout the nation appeared daunting at the time.
“I don’t think I would have had as good of, or as unique of an experience as I did if I just went on a week-long trip with my family or friends,” Mateaus says. “Being able to step out of your comfort zone and experience new cultures, is important for just about anyone.”
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