Route J-1

By Eva Dolezalova, J-1 Short-Term Scholar from Czech Republic

Eva’s wedding day in Las Vegas, Nevada

You can see my husband and me on our wedding day in the picture above. If you guess that we married in Las Vegas, you are right. We married in 2012 and since then we fell in love with the USA. The breathtaking view of Half Dome at sunset will always be imprinted on our hearts. We were just tourists at the time, but we knew that we wanted to come back and stay a little longer to experience more of the life and culture in America.

A few years after, I applied and was accepted for a post-doctoral position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. I should also say that something changed since 2012, my husband and I had a beautiful little daughter. I was worried about moving and about her, especially because I was a new mother, but we eventually decided that this was “the chance” not to be missed. Read More ›

Categories: Program Spotlight

By Daria Romanovskaia, J-1 Summer Work and Travel participant from Russia

On top of Crowders Mountain, Crowders Mountain State Park North Carolina

This photo was taken on the top of Crowders Mountain, which is situated in Crowders Mountain State Park near Charlotte, North Carolina, where I am working as a lifeguard. It was one of my days off, which I spent with my coworker, a friend from Russia whom I met during my Work & Travel experience this summer. We went with an American family (a mother and her two sons) we got acquainted with at work. The family is really lovely, friendly, and funny.

We spent half of the day at the State Park and it was a beautiful time. It wasn’t as hot as it usually is, so it was perfect weather for hiking. And by the way hiking was an awesome workout! It took about an hour going up the cliff and the road itself was great because we were getting to know about the nature and wildlife of USA.  The best part awaited us at the top of the cliff. When you reach a rocky pass on the way up, a breathtaking view of the green lake of a forest opens to your eyes. You feel young, independent and free. It’s really hard to describe what is going on inside. It’s the kind of feeling when a mysterious transformation takes place in your thoughts and mind and you go down the mountain a different person.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Avery Benza, Human Resources & Recruitment Manager, American Hospitality Academy (AHA)

Throughout the summer,  J-1participants have been busy volunteering in their local communities. From food banks, to clean ups, to helping the homeless, our participants have been making a big impact in their communities.

Pamela Silva  [J-1 Trainee, Mexico] volunteered at the Kansas Food Bank. “It was incredible to see all that food donated for special causes. I decided to participate just to give back to America a few of what this country has done for me. It is really an amazing experience that I will do again for sure.”

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Nick Hvidtfeldt, J-1 Intern from Denmark

Nick enjoying the fall foliage in New York’s Central Park

During my four months in New York City I made sure to take advantage of all the exciting opportunities this place has to offer. I rarely had a dull moment, and my friends would often ask me, “Are you even interning?!” because of all the cultural activities and traveling I did. I promise I was! But I utilized every second of my free time to go somewhere new and do something fun.

I made it a priority to visit every New York City borough and explore every neighborhood of Manhattan. I found that an excellent way to do this was to go on guided theme tours. You can find all sorts of different ones that suit your interests. I went on a bubbly tour of Greenwich Village with a drag queen, a fascinating historical tour of Harlem, the Sex and the City hotspots tour, a tasty pizza tour in Brooklyn and many more. I was continually surprised by the myriad of stories each place has and how many different ‘flavors’ can be found in this city. And speaking of flavors, the numerous street food markets I visited around town always satisfied my culinary cravings and opened my eyes to levels of deliciousness I never knew existed!

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Joanne Hritz, Director of Marketing at AuPairCare

A version of this story was originally published on AuPairCare

Tamires at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

As if leaving her family, friends and her familiar life in Brazil to come to America as an au pair wasn’t adventurous enough, au pair Tamires also decided to take on the challenge of a solo cycling trip through Historic Route 66!

Tamires in New Mexico – Land of Enrichment

From its golden days in the 1930s, to the decline in the 1960s and the resurgence in recent years, Route 66 has always had a prominent spot in popular culture. Known also as the ‘Main Street of America,’ it was built in 1926 and was one of the original roads within the U.S. Highway system. Read More ›

Categories: Program Spotlight

Jody Mayo, Communications Manager, Alliance Abroad Group
A version of this story was originally published on Alliance Abroad

Teacher and Robotics coach Wilmar Lee (left) with sixth grade students holding mobile robots

Wilmar Lee is a robotics fanatic and she’s passing her infectious passion to middle school students in Houston, Texas.  She is a Filipino citizen participating in a J-1 visa teacher exchange program.  Back home, on the other side of the world, Wilmar taught math, computer and MAPEH (Music, Art, PE, & Health) classes for 12 years. She was also an innovator and proponent of using robotics as a way to engage students and promote science, technology, engineering, and math studies.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Leslie Costa, J-1 Intern from France

Leslie Costa visiting U.S. Senate Office Building

In 2007, I graduated from the University of Montesquieu in Bordeaux, France, with a degree in economics and law, before moving to Paris to study a Masters degree in corporate finance. During my studies, I undertook multiple internships that provided a strong foundation of knowledge for entering into the financial world.  However, in a post-recession business world, I found it difficult to get an entry-level job. Employers repeatedly told me I needed additional experience. Determined to acquire the skills I needed and propel myself into a new realm of experience in a stubborn European marketplace, I set my sights on the United States and a corporate world that would open many more doors of opportunity.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Sasha Gerhardson, J-1 Manager, The Washington Center

Group photo of J-1s Interns in Thomas Jefferson State Reception Room

On Tuesday, May 25, seven J-1 interns from Mexico and two staff members from the Washington Center participated in a meet and greet roundtable discussion with State Department staff followed by a one hour guided tour of the Department’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms. In this blog entry, J-1s share their reflections about their visit.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Nathan Arnold, Director of Press Relations for Educational and Cultural Affairs              

Ocean City, Maryland police conduct a safety demonstration for J-1 participants working in the beach community.

This past summer, State Department monitoring teams visited 446 placement sites across 25 states in our efforts to monitor the health, safety, and welfare of participants. Along the way, we also stopped to listen, as J-1 participants shared with us ideas for continuing to improve the program. In total, our teams interviewed 1,582 J-1 students and 362 American host placement supervisors. The findings of these monitoring visits are now available in the 2016 Summer Work Travel Monitoring Report, including charts breaking down the findings, ranging from participant costs to hours worked to cultural activities in American communities.

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Categories: Program Spotlight

By Viktor Vincej, J-1 Summer Work Travel alumnus from Slovakia

Viktor Vincej, full-time traveler, volunteer, and founder of online magazines Traveling Lifestyle & Webcreate.Me

In 2011, when I went to the USA for the first time, I was a different person than I am today. Working the whole summer in Ocean City, Maryland under the J-1 Summer Work & Travel Program was, for sure, one of the biggest lessons of my life. Now I know those lessons are the ones which made me stronger and gave me the most!

Visiting the USA was always kind of a dream for me, and the Work & Travel program was definitely one of the easiest and most affordable ways. For many Work & Travel jobs in the USA, you must be fluent in English. As a student who did not speak fluent English, I chose dishwashing at first because my options were limited. Also, as a kid from a “regular” family, I either needed to borrow money or I needed to work hard back home to afford the experience of Work & Travel in the USA. I took a couple jobs back home working long hours in order to make sure I had enough money and also to be able to travel around the USA afterwards. It was a huge lesson which helped me to develop work ethic and mental strength. On the other side, what I didn’t realize at the time was that showing off good work ethic set me off for my freelancing path and which later allowed me to become a world traveler. Everything begins with small steps.

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Categories: Program Spotlight