When 14 students from three universities in Mexico gave a presentation at UMD to the St. Paul, Minnesota Consulate of Mexico, they each had different words to express their appreciation. Some thanked their host families, others marveled about their outings, several praised the faculty for being such good teachers, and nearly all mentioned the snow.
The event was part of UMD’s English as a Second Language International (ESLI) program that welcomed students to Duluth on October 21. It began snowing shortly after their arrival. The trip ends on November 18 and snow is still on the ground, but it hasn't dampened the student's enthusiasm.
On November 13, during a presentation about the program to the Duluth campus and the community, the students heard from their special guest, Mexican Head Consul Gerardo Guerrero, who encouraged them to share their study abroad experiences with family and friends back home.
The students come from three universities, the Universidad Tecnológica de Tabasco, the Universidad Tecnológica de Puebla, and Universidad Tecnológica de Parras. The four-week program provided daily English language classes, cultural and social experiences, and sightseeing.
The Proyecta 100K program was developed to send 100,000 Mexican post-secondary students to study in the U.S. and 50,000 U.S. students to study in Mexico by 2018. This program is a response to President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative to grow education exchange throughout the Americas.
Students from the Universidad Tecnológica de Tabasco include: Luis Raymundo Lara del Angel, Dalia Vazquez Silva, Lucia Perez Gonzalez, Maximiliano Yepez Andrade, Diana Laura Hernandez, Isabel Vinagre Urgell, Juan Carlos Hernandez Ble, Jesus Lezama, Jorge Daniel Meneses.
Students from the Universidad Tecnológica de Puebla include: Erik Cisneros, Diana Carolina Garcia, Brenda Ramirez Peregrina, Cristina Antonio Morales.
One student, Francisco Flores Nunez, studies at the Universidad Tecnológica de Parras.