I’m back in the States now, and I can officially say that I have experienced Yucatan, Mexico. I got the amazing experience to live in a small (1,100 people), yet very exciting and interesting community called San Antonio Chun (It may be “Chum,” we never actually figured that one out). I lived with a wonderful … Read More

In Pilapuchín, a community of 400 tucked high in the Ecuadorian Andes, the local equivalent of the PTA does not get a summer break. As I stood up to address the group in the school courtyard, I could feel the eyes of the fedora-clad locals on me. There I was, thousands of miles away from … Read More

Melanie went to Nicaragua in the summer of 2011. She joined AMIGOS through our partner Rice University as a Loewenstern Fellow. We caught up with her to learn more about her trip and what she learned. What was your project? My project partnered with CARE in the Department of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Through this partnership, I … Read More

In Case You Missed It: Liz, Adelante Benefit Youth Speaker Liz Guerrero went to Nicaragua with AMIGOS for a Gap Program in 2017. She spoke at the Adelante Benefit in San Francisco on April 28, 2018. Below is a transcript of her speech.   Good evening, my name is Liz Guerrero, I am 19 years … Read More

Maren is a two-time AMIGOS alum and will serve as a Project Supervisor this summer in the Dominican Republic. Here, she reflects on how she got involved in AMIGOS and the impact it had on her life.   When I first traveled to Panamá as an AMIGOS participant in 2015, it was for all the … Read More

My life is divided into two phases: before AMIGOS and after AMIGOS. When I signed up for the program, I had no idea how dramatically it would impact the course of my life. My sister had participated, my mom was encouraging me to volunteer, and I figured that it would look pretty good on my … 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

TOUCHING THE SKY By Alyssa Kurke, American University   Alyssa is one of nine students from American University’s Community-Based Research Scholars program who traveled to Cuenca, Ecuador this January. The trip, led by AMIGOS and American University staff, focused on multicultural collaboration, service learning, and models of asset-based community development. Students visited AMIGOS partner organizations, … 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

Verduras y Verdaderas The Barranquilla, Colombia summer project with AMIGOS is unique because it’s only open to college students. Participants spend the first two weeks of the program taking classes in either Global Health or International Development (their choice!) at a university in Barranquilla. Then, they head to the field to live with host families … Read More