SiS News - June 2009 - Kate Bundy, of Kennesaw State University, awarded “SiS Student Ambassador of the Year” in Boston, MA

SiS STUDENT AMBASSADORS

Kate Bundy, of Kennesaw State University, awarded “SiS Student Ambassador of the Year” in Boston, MA

“Please do not stop doing these projects because they are really life-changing". Katherine Bundy, awarded in Boston on May the 6th as SiS Student Ambassador of the Year for the Study in Spain Program, closed with these words her emotional speech after the award.

The young student from Kennesaw State University in Georgia (USA) won the award for her efforts in promoting Spanish culture and language in her campus. Katherine Bundy had made works in poetry in Spanish, tasting contests, and film festivals on Buñuel, among other activities.

With her, 9 best Ambassadors received the honorable mention of the Study in Spain Program. They were:

• Salvador Barajas from Pasadena City College
• Lindsay Clark from Oregon State University
• Soha Salamah from SUNY Brockport
• Meera Yogesh from University of Tennessee
• Katherine Brooks from University of Central Florida
• Jessica Almaguer from University of Arizona
• William Nathan Greene from Auburn University
• Michelle Spreutels from Regis University
• Zilin Cui from Mount Holyoke College

The SiS Student Ambassadors program is an initiative of the Embassy of Spain-Trade Commission in Miami and EDUESPAÑA (association representing universities and educational institutions in Spain), funded by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) and part of the Study in Spain program. Study in Spain seeks "to promote American involvement in Spain’s educational system with programs and projects of all kinds”.

The interest in participating in this program is high. About 150 higher education institutions have already requested to participate with their students in the next edition. "Studying outside the country of origin has become crucial for a successful and promising career" said Silvia Iranzo, Spanish Secretary of State for Trade, who gave the awards to the young SiS Student Ambassadors.

Ms. Iranzo emphasized the growing importance of collaboration between the U.S. and Spain in the field of education. One of the "cornerstones" of the new policy of the Obama Administration, which has created a fund worth 80 million dollars annually, is targeted to encourage and support nearly one million American students studying abroad per year.

Spain is the third preferred destination for American student exchange, after the United Kingdom and Italy.