A letter from an MACUCC Chile trip participant:

I grew up in Quincy and my family attended the East Congregational Church of Milton. In April 2006, I traveled to Chile with a group of 10 people.  My experience in Chile made a strong impact on me. It helped me realize that I wanted to learn more about international development, particularly in Latin America. After the experience, I went on to graduate from Thayer Academy in Braintree and then to study International Studies, with a discipline in Sociology and focus on Latin America, at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

During my Junior year, I studied abroad with the CIEE-Service Learning program in Santiago, Dominican Republic (since Chile, I knew I wanted to travel more in Latin America). This program is centered around providing students with an experiential learning experience. Each student works for one of seven community organizations throughout the city. They create an investigation about the community in which they work as well as a tangible project. I graduated in May 2011, and in August moved back to Santiago, DR to work for the CIEE-SL program as an alumni-intern. My primary role is concentrated around student support, particularly with their community practicum (checking in with both students and the community organizations). I am loving my experience here and will hopefully be working for the program until May 2013. After that, I am interested in pursuing a career in non-profit work, either with an international (Latin American) focus or working with Hispanic populations.

I wanted to let you know how my experience in Chile has affected my life. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to travel and learn about other cultures and the help needed in countries other than our own.

Stephanie Carlson-Flynn