Anita's visit to Japan (CIEE Summer Study Abroad)

My name is Rachel, the mother of Anita; I am writing to request your help with educational funding to support Anita's visit to Japan with the CIEE High School Study Abroad Program. CIEE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to higher education and experience for underprivileged students and an opportunity to study abroad and exchange cultural differences.

Unfortunately, due to my low income, my ability to achieve this goal is financially unattainable. I don't want that to get in the way of Anita's possibilities for success, learning and immersing herself in Japanese culture, and meeting new kids from across the globe. Anita received a full scholarship of $7350 into the program, not including the flight, but I hope to secure funding of any amount towards the flight to Japan, a total of $2998, which is due by June 3rd.

Below I attached my daughter's response on how CIEE’S High School Summer Abroad Program will impact her life and her discussion of her personal goals with the program:

The CIEE High School Summer Abroad Program will keep me occupied, allow me to broaden my horizons, and become more independent. This is because during the summertime I tend to have a hard time finding affordable activities, that can provide entertainment, and provide social awareness; as I get older, my options begin to narrow. I will be in a foreign country and have to adapt to their customs for the time being; whether it is the traditional or pop culture of Japan that I am studying. I will be ecstatic to be surrounded by like-minded peers. One of my personal goals for this program includes: furthering my knowledge of the Japanese language. After this semester, my Japanese class will be discontinued, therefore, I will have to study Japanese on my own time with outside resources.

Another one of my goals is to improve my social skills. I feel that even though I am comfortable with myself, I need to push for friendships that will benefit both parties in the sense that we can connect regardless of our location and push each other to strive for more. Lastly, after hearing about the experience from an alum of the CIEE Program, it made me realize that I would want to form a bond with my host family as if they were my own family. In the future, my objective is to create a bond with my host family to the point that I can visit them in Japan as a leisure activity. I feel that it is important to sustain relationships with those who have helped you along the way.