Amerigo Program Launched with Great Success and is Growing

Reprinted from Traditions, Summer 2019
August 7, 2019

Amerigo students had the opportunity to explore American culture, including a field trip to the Mall of America early in the school year.

This year, CDH launched our partnership with Amerigo Education, welcoming 24 international students to join our community. Unlike exchange students who visit CDH for a small portion of their high school career, Amerigo students enroll permanently and become an integral part of our school. 

Minsuk Cho ’20 is from South Korea and took full advantage of the opportunities CDH offered. “I liked the variety of clubs at CDH,” he said. “I participated in Model UN, The Chronicle and Math Team, and all of these were a great experience for me.” 

These students lived in dorms at Concordia University specifically for CDH’s Amerigo students. They were fully supported by Amerigo staff who help them adjust to life in America, plan activities, and ensure that they have the academic support they need, including intensive English learning. The Amerigo team is also the primary bridge between the student and the student’s family. 

Amerigo describes their program as, “Combining a nurturing boarding environment, supplemental academic support, English language development, and an approach oriented around successful university outcomes, Amerigo prepares students with the skills, values, and care required to succeed in high school, at the university level, and beyond.” 

In addition to providing an on-site teacher to support the international students, Amerigo also provided training to CDH teachers on best practices for engaging students with a different cultural background. 

CDH welcomed the new students with a student ambassador program designed to connect a current CDH student with a new international student, providing peer connections that enable the students to better navigate the social aspects of joining the school. The Amerigo students also shared their culture with the CDH community through presentations about their family and cultural traditions. 

This program is beneficial for the entire CDH community. We live in an increasingly globalized world, and having international students enrolled full-time gives our local students exposure to other cultures and the opportunity to build relationships with people from around the world — experiences that will serve them well in college and beyond. 

The Amerigo program is growing next year, with enrollment expected to meet next year’s international student capacity of 50 students. 

Tony Leseman, Admissions Director, is in tune with the needs of the students coming through the Amerigo program and categorizes their transition to their new school similar to other new students. “When students come to a new school, there is always a sense of the unknown, but after meeting other students in class or at a football game, working with our wonderful teachers, and joining a team or activity that they enjoy, they are no longer ‘new’ students, or even ‘international’ students, just CDH students.”

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