Jacqueline Haimovici, a freshman from Great Neck South High School, has just won a scholarship to go to Costa Rica this summer and write about her experiences. She won a Journalism Fellowship to go on a Walking Tree Travel Program to Costa Rica in July.
The Journalism Fellowship is a collaboration between Walking Tree Travel and The Wandering Scholar, a non-profit organization that makes international education experiences accessible to students from low-income backgrounds. Together, both organizations work to ensure that students produce carefully researched articles that document interesting facets of their travel experiences.
Jacqueline is one of several hundred students across the country taking part in the Walking Tree Travel program. It is more than an exchange program. Teen participants go to one of seven countries in Central America, Europe, Africa or Asia to work on projects to make a better world; whether building community centers, digging wells or painting buildings, the projects all help others while at the same time enrich the lives of the students.
“At Walking Tree, we offer teens the opportunity to widen their world view,” said Paul Laurie, director of Walking Tree Travel. “We hope that our journalism fellows bring their experiences home and start a dialogue with other kids to better appreciate the world which we all share.”
The Wandering Scholar (a partner for the journalism program) selects several motivated candidates to travel on Walking Tree programs each year on full fellowships.
The Wandering Scholar makes international education opportunities accessible to high school students from low-income backgrounds. Each year they select a cohort of scholars from across the United States to participate in their eight-week Global Skills Fellowship summer program.
The Wandering Scholar seeks applicants who: are passionate about global exploration; exhibit promise as intercultural innovators; and demonstrate intellectual and entrepreneurial curiosity despite a lack of resources and opportunity.
