La Carta Category: Alumni Spotlight

Cutter Dawes is an AMIGOS alum from the Marin Chapter in California. After completing the Chimborazo, Ecuador project in 2017, Cutter continued his volunteer work in his community in California. Because of his dedicated work, he won a Volunteer of the Year Award at the annual Heart of Marin Awards. Learn more about his AMIGOS … Read More

Jorge Poveda, a former AMIGOS Youth Ambassadors Program Coordinator and Associate Project Director, shares his experience building young leaders as well as how to expand your global perspective with AMIGOS.   What AMIGOS programs have you participated in? I traveled from Ecuador to the U.S. guiding 13 young leaders on the Youth Ambassadors Program in … Read More

We caught up with AMIGOS alum Steve Schafer (Paraguay 1990) to ask him some questions! Steve is the author of The Border, a story about four Mexican teens who flee to the US through the scorching Sonoran desert after getting caught in the cross fire of the narco-violence along the US/Mexico border. Steve has a … Read More

AMIGOS alumni are not ones to shy away from a challenge. Getting out of your comfort zone and traveling to a new country are two essential parts of the AMIGOS experience. Alum Dorn Wenninger took that to heart: from January 30 through February 5, 2018, he completed 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days! … Read More

Dorn Wenninger Runs for AMIGOS 7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Days   AMIGOS alumni do some pretty incredible things. Five-time alum Dorn Wenninger is getting ready to run a marathon in Antarctica. Then run another marathon the following day in South Africa. Then another in Austraila. And that’s just the beginning; he’ll be … Read More

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Taylor Surles from AMIGOS to Doctors without BorderS We had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Taylor Surles, who was an AMIGOS participant in Mexico. Curious about the impact his experience had, we asked if he always knew he wanted to be a doctor.  “I had an inkling that I wanted to something … Read More

AMIGOS organizes immersion programs in Latin America for high school and college students seeking powerful life experiences. This sets you on the path to be a leader in your career and in the global community. With over 50 years of experience, there are over 28,000 incredible AMIGOS alumni across the world, and one of those … Read More

Hi there! My name is Ben, and I was an AMIGOS participant four years ago in the province of Azuay in southern Ecuador. I thought I would write a bit reflecting on my experience as a volunteer, as well as moving up the leadership ladder with AMIGOS, since I have now had a bit of … Read More

You might be reading the AMIGOS blog wondering, “Why should I do AMIGOS?” And I’m glad you asked. Quite honestly, some of the best journeys of our life start with asking the right questions. For Lauren Antosz, AMIGOS 2011 participant in Nicaragua, that question was “what is Shakira saying in ‘Hips Don’t Lie’?” This famous … Read More

“It is not even 12, and I have already had 6 cups of coffee. My host sister has decided that that is an ample amount of coffee to name my stomach after – she now places her hand on it in passing and says “cafésito” in an affectionate tone.” – Marit Frost in a journal … Read More