Latest news with #BridgeUSA
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour To Highlight How International Exchange Makes America Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous
Summerlong American roadshow kicks off in June 2025 with stops at top BridgeUSA employers Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Kentucky Kingdom SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) will travel to Ohio and Kentucky next week to begin a summerlong celebration of U.S. Department of State's BridgeUSA international exchange programs that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. The celebration kicks off June 8-11 with events honoring top employers who host BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants in the heartland of America. The BridgeUSA program brings international college students to live and work in the United States during their summer break, helping American businesses across America expand and extend the summer season. Cedar Point and Kings Island, both based in Ohio; and Kentucky Kingdom, based in Kentucky, will be recognized for their success creating meaningful cultural exchange for both BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants and their American teammates. These organizations are just three of the 4,000+ businesses, large and small, across the United States that each year host BridgeUSA participants who positively impact their American host employers and host communities in many ways, including increasing economic prosperity for local businesses and injecting more than $1.2 billion overall into the national U.S. economy. "The BridgeUSA program brings in associates from around the world who create amazing experiences for our guests," said Kaitlin Wattrick, recruiting manager at Cedar Point. "Beyond the park, it enriches our community by fostering cultural exchange and building lasting connections that extend far beyond the summer season." BridgeUSA Makes America Safer and Stronger BridgeUSA programs bolster America's national security and strengthen America's public diplomacy by fostering mutual respect between Americans and people of other nations. BridgeUSA participants return home and spread word of their positive experience in the United States which improves the American image abroad and makes our country safer. BridgeUSA Makes America More Prosperous Most importantly, BridgeUSA participants enable local economies to prosper by extending the tourism season, allowing businesses to employ more Americans for a longer seasonal period, and allowing hundreds of local businesses—from laundromats to general stores, from local diners to grocery stores—to extend the duration of their peak-season sales surge, compounding the positive economic impact in each community. "BridgeUSA provides a significant economic benefit to thousands of American businesses and communities around the United States," said Martine Mangion, Senior Vice President, Inbound Exchange Programs at CIEE. "Many seasonal businesses are able to continue to support domestic jobs in their slow season thanks to the support from the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants who businesses host during their busy season. Some of our hosts are able to stay open an additional 30-45 days longer than they would have without BridgeUSA participants. In addition, BridgeUSA participants spend their wages in the local community and across the country when they travel." "The BridgeUSA exchange programs are the perfect definition of a government program that makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous," said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE. "International students pay their way to come to America, they make American businesses more profitable while they are here, and then they return to their home countries with a deeper knowledge and respect for American culture and American values, including the power of democracy and free speech. If BridgeUSA did not exist, we would need to invent it, as it truly enriches all Americans." Additional CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration events are scheduled for Wyoming, Montana, Texas, and South Carolina. If you are interested in participating in a future CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration event, please reach out to Carye Duffin, CIEE Senior Vice President of External Affairs, at CDuffin@ About CIEE:CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. For 75 years, we have helped young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. Since 1947, CIEE has supported more than one million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Learn more at Media Contact: Leslie Taylor, ltaylor@ (207) 553-4274 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour To Highlight How International Exchange Makes America Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous
Summerlong American roadshow kicks off in June 2025 with stops at top BridgeUSA employers Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Kentucky Kingdom SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) will travel to Ohio and Kentucky next week to begin a summerlong celebration of U.S. Department of State's BridgeUSA international exchange programs that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. The celebration kicks off June 8-11 with events honoring top employers who host BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants in the heartland of America. The BridgeUSA program brings international college students to live and work in the United States during their summer break, helping American businesses across America expand and extend the summer season. Cedar Point and Kings Island, both based in Ohio; and Kentucky Kingdom, based in Kentucky, will be recognized for their success creating meaningful cultural exchange for both BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants and their American teammates. These organizations are just three of the 4,000+ businesses, large and small, across the United States that each year host BridgeUSA participants who positively impact their American host employers and host communities in many ways, including increasing economic prosperity for local businesses and injecting more than $1.2 billion overall into the national U.S. economy. "The BridgeUSA program brings in associates from around the world who create amazing experiences for our guests," said Kaitlin Wattrick, recruiting manager at Cedar Point. "Beyond the park, it enriches our community by fostering cultural exchange and building lasting connections that extend far beyond the summer season." BridgeUSA Makes America Safer and Stronger BridgeUSA programs bolster America's national security and strengthen America's public diplomacy by fostering mutual respect between Americans and people of other nations. BridgeUSA participants return home and spread word of their positive experience in the United States which improves the American image abroad and makes our country safer. BridgeUSA Makes America More Prosperous Most importantly, BridgeUSA participants enable local economies to prosper by extending the tourism season, allowing businesses to employ more Americans for a longer seasonal period, and allowing hundreds of local businesses—from laundromats to general stores, from local diners to grocery stores—to extend the duration of their peak-season sales surge, compounding the positive economic impact in each community. "BridgeUSA provides a significant economic benefit to thousands of American businesses and communities around the United States," said Martine Mangion, Senior Vice President, Inbound Exchange Programs at CIEE. "Many seasonal businesses are able to continue to support domestic jobs in their slow season thanks to the support from the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants who businesses host during their busy season. Some of our hosts are able to stay open an additional 30-45 days longer than they would have without BridgeUSA participants. In addition, BridgeUSA participants spend their wages in the local community and across the country when they travel." "The BridgeUSA exchange programs are the perfect definition of a government program that makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous," said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE. "International students pay their way to come to America, they make American businesses more profitable while they are here, and then they return to their home countries with a deeper knowledge and respect for American culture and American values, including the power of democracy and free speech. If BridgeUSA did not exist, we would need to invent it, as it truly enriches all Americans." Additional CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration events are scheduled for Wyoming, Montana, Texas, and South Carolina. If you are interested in participating in a future CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration event, please reach out to Carye Duffin, CIEE Senior Vice President of External Affairs, at CDuffin@ About CIEE:CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. For 75 years, we have helped young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. Since 1947, CIEE has supported more than one million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Learn more at Media Contact: Leslie Taylor, ltaylor@ (207) 553-4274 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
J-1 student workers essential for summer hiring
Jun. 1—There were murmurings of different languages amongst stacks of suitcases at the Xanterra office in Columbia Falls. It was a cool, rainy day, and J-1 student workers from around the world were getting their first impression of Montana. Assistant Director of Human Resources Christine Wright said it's an exciting time of year as they welcome the student workers into the fold. "I love it when they arrive and it's all new to them. They're so excited and they've done tons of research. "But they get here, and it's still just like, 'Wow, all the pictures and information I looked up still doesn't tell the whole story," she said. The J-1 visa, also known as the Exchange Visitor Visa or J student visa, is for anyone outside of the U.S. who wishes to take part in study and work-related exchange programs. The program aims to foster global understanding through educational and cultural exchanges, according to BridgeUSA, the agency which oversees J-1 visas for the U.S. Department of State. Companies in Northwest Montana see bringing in J1 student workers as a win-win: students from abroad get a taste of American culture and a chance to work in beautiful scenery, while companies fill necessary positions before the hustle and bustle of summertime. To participate in the Exchange Visitor Program, foreign nationals must be sponsored by one of the State Department-designated sponsors, according to BridgeUSA. Sponsors are responsible for screening and selecting those eligible for participation in their designated exchange visitor program, as well as supporting and monitoring exchange visitors during their stay here. Once someone obtains a DS-2019 form from a sponsor, they can apply for a J-1 visa at their nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. According to BridgeUSA, Montana had more than 2,700 J-1 workers in 2023, the latest available data. While Montana boasts many job opportunities in tourism, states like California and New York saw around 27,000 J-1 workers that same year. The agency reports that J-1 visa participants come to the U.S. from more than 200 countries and that 54% of them are female. Director of Human Resources Victoria Nix said Xanterra works with companies that operate in student's home countries, which collaborate with American sponsor agencies to advertise the Visitor Exchange Program abroad. "We don't talk directly to the universities or to the students at first, those in-country agencies are working with our sponsor to do all of that first recruiting and talk about the program. Then there's almost like a job board, where we create profiles and share information about our jobs, and they can select us as a host employer from those lists," she said. Xanterra is hiring 240 student workers for the upcoming summer season in Glacier National Park. Nix said these employees cover a critical time during the shoulder seasons, when college students haven't arrived yet in May and when they leave in August to return to school. There is a big effort to hire domestically too, as that's where they hire the majority of their employees. But, having J-1s to cover the beginning and end of the season is critical. "I don't think that we would be able to remain open without our BridgeUSA students. We have about 750 seasonal employees, so we're still hiring about 600 domestic employees every summer, but those students supplement all of our operations," she said. Whitefish Mountain Resort has been hiring J-1 workers since 2005, according to Public Relations Manager Chad Sokol. He said part of the process of hiring J-1s is showing the State Department that the company has tried to hire domestically. "There's a variety of factors, including application patterns from current and past seasons, so we know which departments tend to have the biggest staffing needs. We're very often in need of housekeepers, for instance," Sokol said. He said the program helps fill positions that would otherwise go unfilled. It's why Whitefish Mountain Resort Human Resource Director Kristi Hanchett wrote a letter to congressional representatives earlier this month asking them for continued support of the program. She wrote that without a doubt, if the resort wasn't able to hire J-1 visa holding employees in the future, the needs of guests would not be met. She referenced the summer of 2021 when the resort only hired eight J-1 employees and had to close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays due to lack of staff. "It's been an incredibly rewarding program for us, our business and the visiting students, many of whom choose to return for multiple seasons. They are valued members of the Whitefish Mountain Resort team, and we appreciate the wealth of experiences they bring to the mountain," Sokol said. The Trump administration's crackdown on immigration has brought up questions about the future for the Exchange Visitor Visa program. While Xanterra is watching the issue closely, Nix said there hasn't been an increase in visa denials, just the occasional question from applicants. Sokol said the resort hasn't had any hiring issues either. "I think our students coming in are still really excited ... but I definitely think this is an important year to continue advocacy for the program," she said. Working with CIEE, Whitefish Mountain Resort hired 40 J-1 visa holders from Jamaica, Spain and Romania for the summer season. Typically, the resort hosts about 75 visa holders each winter and has begun the hiring process for the 2025-26 ski season, Sokol notes. The country that sends the most students to work for Xanterra in Glacier National Park is Thailand, according to Nix. She said that's because the dates available best match what applicants are looking for and that it's a good fit culturally. Glacier National Park is also known to go viral on TikTok, which helps with hiring — Nix said it's something candidates often bring up in interviews. Though Thailand is the top sending country, the company also works with students from Bulgaria, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine, among others. Nix said Xanterra hiring staff have gone on several trips to the top sending countries in recent years, where they learned more about cultures and met potential hires face-to-face. Some of the students show up and immediately look for Nix, because they are eager to see a familiar face. "A lot of times they bring us gifts from their countries, which is really cute, like a little tea or candy, something small," she said. "But yeah, it's a really fun reunion when we get to see them again. Two girls that were checking in this morning poked their head in my office and were like 'Hi, Victoria! Do you remember us?' I was like, 'Yeah!'" Preferences of the workers are considered during placement within the park. Nix said those who are very eager to hike and backpack typically love Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, while those who want to be a little closer to town prefer Lake McDonald Lodge. There's a draw in working at the beautiful Many Glacier Hotel for some hires, and Nix said it's one of the most requested locations. Once they arrive, summer starts rolling fast for these exchange workers. Students are taken to rodeos and firework shows on the Fourth of July, among other activities, to show-off American culture. But the exchange goes both ways with U.S. employees learning about their coworker's culture. It's the kind of closeness that comes with working side-by-side all summer long, Nix said. "It's always a 'cry-fest' on our check out days, because everyone forms really strong friendships. They're working with everyone every day," Nix said. "So, on big checkout days, if you drive up on property, you'll just see hordes of employees, both domestic and international, all hugging and crying and maybe kissing — whatever the nature of the relationship was." While they occasionally get homesick, Nix said the students generally have good sentiments about their time in Glacier National Park. They may be happy to come back another summer or already have plans with their coworkers to come visit them in their home country. While the Visitor Exchange Program may solve a lot of logistical issues for hiring managers in Northwest Montana, Nix said her favorite part of the program is the connections made by employees. "It's really beautiful to see another human being, person-to-person, and to maybe learn their country's games or share food with them or tell stories around a campfire," Nix said. "So, I think it's good for global diplomacy and global citizenship, because it's bringing people from all over the world together in a beautiful place like Glacier." Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or by emailing tinman@
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UT students reach across the aisle in an era of deep division
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As tempers flare over President Trump's flurry of executive actions and the Democratic Party's response, some University of Texas students are coming together to bridge partisan divides. The student organization Bridge Texas is bringing people together to debate the news of the day, as Atidna, another student organization, does the same for supporters of Israel and Palestinians. Both organizations have emerged against a backdrop of divisive politics and deep polarization throughout the country. Sixty-four percent of Republicans and 75% of Democrats described the other party as 'closed-minded' according to a 2019 Pew Research study. College campuses have also felt the heat, with student protests over the Israel-Hamas War reaching a boiling point last spring. Twenty-nine percent of students found it sometimes or always acceptable to remove campus ads and posters for a speaker they disagreed with, according to a 2020 study from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Another 27% said it was sometimes or always acceptable to shout down a speaker. Professor Larry Schooler, an assistant professor of practice of communication studies at UT, says the current environment is stifling conversations about politics for both students and faculty. 'A student may not know the kind of people that are in class with them,' he said. 'They say something [and] maybe the student's classmate doesn't react in the moment, but they post on social media, and it goes viral, and they become a target of some kind.' He says the uncertainty and the ugly encounters that have happened pushed many students away from discussion completely. Despite the current moment, the students of Bridge USA are coming together to have lively discussions about politics. The organization has a three-pillared mission: 'viewpoint diversity, instructive dialogue and aiming for a solution-oriented political culture.' Allison Eng is the president of the UT chapter of Bridge USA, Bridge Texas. It's one of two chapters the organization has in the Austin area; the other is at St. Edward's University. 'We're kind of in a negative media environment. Usually the loudest voices, unfortunately, are what gain traction,' she said. 'It can appear that we're more divided than we actually are.' Bridge Texas held a discussion on the nature of executive power in light of Trump's various executive orders on March 5. A small group of students gathered around a rectangular table in a reserved room in one of UT's student unions for the discussion. Abhjith Valluru, a freshman government major, participated in the discussion. 'The entire point of having someone who can sit there and make a decision now is the difference between a bunch of Roman senators squabbling about what to do about the 'barbarians' at their front door and the emperor saying, 'OK, go take my army and deal with them,'' he said. Valluru spoke highly of Bridge Texas' impact on him so far. 'It allows me to develop my own thoughts about certain things by being able to express them,' he said. Another participant, second year economics major Zachary Chen, thought the space Bridge Texas provides was important in today's climate. 'In today's day and age where politics itself is a very touchy subject, to be able to come here and express our point of views, I think it's a benefit,' he said. Eng said Bridge Texas' participants are representative of UT's student body, which she says skews left, but she's also proud of her membership. 'They're all pretty independent-minded,' she said. Atidna International has a narrower mandate — to bridge the divides between students over Israel/Palestinian conflicts. The organization was founded at UT and has grown to over 10 chapters across the country. Founder and UT student Elijah Kahlenberg, who is Jewish, has also lived in the West Bank, where he said he witnessed the hardships Palestinians face firsthand. He also says his conversations with Palestinians and Palestinian Americans inspired his organization. 'If our two peoples can simply meet, sit down, and have a conversation, then more people can have this transformation that were more similar than different,' he said. On March 6, Atidna held a discussion on the documentary 'No Other Land' which depicts the destruction of Palestinian villages by Israel Defense Forces soldiers on the West Bank. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary, but was met with mixed responses from Israelis, Palestinians and their respective supporters abroad. Some on both sides have even called for boycotts. Jadd Hashem is Palestinian American and co-president of Atidna. He has family who still live in parts of the West Bank and criticized the calls for a boycott. 'I think a lot of the criticism is just absurd,' he said. 'I saw the film very early on. I think it's very well done… Most Palestinians that I speak to have no issues. They were very happy that it won.' Devon Schwartz comes from a family with both Muslim and Jewish heritage. He also supported the film, and argued the criticism came more from abroad than from those experiencing the conflict firsthand. 'You're far away. You think, 'Why are they normalizing? They shouldn't normalize. We need to stand strong,'' he said. 'But people over here aren't in the heat of the battle.' Others challenged his point during the discussion. A freshman of Israeli and Lebanese heritage, who requested we not use her name, appeared satisfied with her first discussion. 'We had people who may or may not have completely agreed with each other,' she said. 'Nonetheless, we were able to have a conversation that was productive, respectful, and that is just so important.' Hashem said these dialogues are hard to have, but he believes one day they could help improve the lives of Palestinians. 'Growing up, this idea of doing dialogue would have been very difficult because it's something to where not only is it scary but at some points it even feels like treason,' he said. '[What] I realized is that I would be doing a disservice not having this dialogue.' Schooler says it's important that Atidna is providing a dedicated space for a subject that's difficult for many students. 'You're also sort of allowing people to opt in or opt out,' he said. 'You're not saying in every classroom that you walk into you have to discuss this conflict.' Joe Cutbirth is an assistant professor of instruction in communication studies at UT. He said there's virtually unlimited benefits to students taking initiative through organizations like Bridge Texas and Atidna. 'Nothing is more fundamental to the culture of a university or academic space than discussing, talking to, meeting people who may have a different lived experience than your own,' he said. 'Being in those environments and being willing to grow is really the exciting part about being an adult in a free society.' Schooler agrees. 'The student's capacity is as great, if not greater, than what a faculty member might have,' he said. 'If I'm a student, I'm much more likely to open up to another student than I would to a faculty member.' Schooler said that while research in this area is limited, some anecdotal evidence shows that organizations like these can help reduce polarization in participants. The Braver Angels Foundation, which does similar work to Bridge USA, published its own research that found partnering up students of different perspectives in conversation had moderate benefits in reducing partisanship. Another organization, the Unify America Challenge, didn't conduct a formal study. Instead, it examined student reflections from an activity and found that students became more comfortable with political discourse after participating. Schooler says that a student-led approach can be effective – unless students are looking for university administrators to take action. He cited the student activism against Israel last spring as an example where change was minimal without administrators at the table. 'In an ideal circumstance, students would figure out a way to at least consult with a university or with administrators,' he said. 'They could sort of think through what some possible outcomes of this might be.' Schwartz said changing the campus culture may also be limited by the willingness of partisans to participate. He said he doesn't think Atidna is changing minds with the major activist groups on campus because they're not willing to have tough conversations about extremists on each side. However, he said he does think Atidna has made a difference in broader Jewish and Muslim faith groups around campus. 'I have to focus on the organizations that I think I really can change.' he said. Kalenburg said the conversations that organizations like his have could offer lessons for everyone. 'If people can see us, Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, sitting down and having a conversation about arguably the most polarizing topic of our generation, Israel-Palestine, [then] Democrats, Republicans, anyone who's divided on an issue can come together and hash out their differences,' he said. 'The person they're speaking to probably has much more in common than they otherwise would expect.' Eng echoed that sentiment based on her time with Bridge Texas. 'It's just really heartwarming, I think, to see that we shouldn't let these political divisions define us,' she said. 'Perhaps we have more in common at the end of the day.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
