Author: Natalie Murdock

exclusive interview with gap student isabella tanaka Why did you choose to do a Gap Year? Why Amigos? In 2014, I participated as a volunteer with AMIGOS in Costa Rica after my Spanish teacher recommended it for me. I had such a positive experience working in two beautiful national parks and my host community, Las Brisas, … Read More

Torneo VIDA//Life Tournament By Jenko Del Rosario Loor, 2015 Ecuador Youth Ambassador Jenko was selected from more than 300 applicants to represent Ecuador in Houston last year. Upon returning home from his International training and exchange, Jenko implemented a Community Based Initiative in his home community. Below Jenko describes his CBI. This initiative worked at … Read More

10 Things I have Learned In Paraguay By: Cora Avery Ever wonder what knowledge being fully-immersed in another country will give you? Here are 10 things I learned while living in Paraguay. 1. You can never have too many cookies—they help you make it through the day. 2. Family can be more than the people … Read More

Malia Obama is taking a Gap year! Here’s why more High-School Seniors should consider it too. There is much debate over the significance of a Gap year, as many students who defer college for a year end up spending their time in part-time jobs trying to find themselves. The statistics for these students is generally … Read More

AMIGOS alum Mike Nelson, was inspired by his experiences at AMIGOS and by his professors at CU-Boulder. After spending three summers in Latin America, a year studying abroad in Seville, Spain and earning both Spanish and History degrees from CU-Boulder, he is now a Kaiser Permanente pediatrician who also volunteers as a translator and pediatrician … Read More

“GOOD NEWS: BBC polls says ‘global citizenship’ is on the rise.”  By Yosola Olorunshola on April 28, 2016, GlobalCitizen.org  It’s always wonderful to wake up to a headline like this. A recent BBC World Service poll shows that people are increasingly choosing to identify as ‘global’ citizens first and foremost. Moving beyond a perspective that … Read More

2016 Bay Area Youth Ambassadors training has begun! On Monday April 25th, the Bay Area Youth Ambassadors cohort began their pre-trip training. Our group in general is just wonderful – very open, communicative, and kind. They bonded very quickly, which was awesome to see, and we have a lot of diverse perspectives that are brought … Read More

AMIGOS 2016 Summer Leadership Team members (formerly known as Project Staff), has been inspired by their own AMIGOS experiences to raise $30,000 for AMIGOS, including financial assistance to provide low-income youth the opportunity of a lifetime for participation in our summer programs. We know AMIGOS is a transformational experience for young people and our Summer … Read More

EL MUNDO NECESITO MAS AMIGOS! Hundreds of students every summer accept the challenge and chose to get out of their element. Will you be one of them? “AMIGOS has played a pivotal role in my life, with the impact showing up in my daily personal and professional life. I’m married to an AMIGOS alumna. My … Read More

AMIGOS DE LAS AMERICAS AND RICE CENTER FOR CIVIC LEADERSHIP COLLABORATION Anne Wells, who is a Senior at Rice University, saw some gaps in the preparation of engineering undergraduate students who do international programs, particularly those in Engineers Without Borders. She saw an opportunity to bridge this gap by partnering with AMIGOS, and together we … Read More