Six students from Costa Rica’s public Scientific High School System learned yesterday that they are the recipients of scholarships to study for a year in the United States.
The students received scholarships from the Costa Rica USA Foundation for Cooperation (CRUSA) and AFS Costa Rica, with the support of the U.S. Embassy.
Emerson González (Alajuela), Geovanny GarcÃa (Liberia), Daniela Lai and Ximena Quesada (both from Limón), and Amanda Valdez and Diana MejÃas (both from Pérez Zeledón), demonstrated academic excellence and English language mastery as part of the application process for the scholarships. They will depart for the United States in August; the scholarship covers their transportation, room and board, and personal expenses for one academic year.
“You will be ambassadors of Costa Rica who will share with your new families and classmates… and have the opportunity to improve your knowledge of English,” U.S. Ambassador Sharon Day told the recipients at a ceremony, according to a statement from the CRUSA Foundation.
Michelle Coffey, the executive delegate of the CRUSA Foundatoin, said in the statement that the scholarships are part of the foundation’s efforts to “generate joint efforts that meet the country’s human capital needs and are relevant to the needs of the productive sector.”
The AFS-Scientific High School program was created by the U.S. Embassy in 2012 to support students with limited economic resources who demonstrated academic excellence, leadership ability and interest in science and technology. In December 2016, AFS Costa Rica and the CRUSA Foundation signed an agreement to continue the program.
AFS selects the students, coordinates their academic and homestay placement, and supports them throughout their stay, the statement said.
Since 2012, 20 Scientific High School students have participated in the program.
This content is brought to you by the Costa Rica USA Foundation for Cooperation (CRUSA) and Amigos of Costa Rica.
