‌Hola! My name is Jaade and I am 14-year-old freshman at John Champe High School in Northern Virginia. I am a straight A student with a 3.9 GPA and play lacrosse for my high school. I enjoy being active at school and in my community -- I'm a member of the Spanish Club, Spanish Honor Society, Teen Cancer Society Clinics for Charity and National Junior Honor Society. I'm also member of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, which develops leadership and business skills in teenagers.

This year, my family and I hosted an exchange student from Costa Rica. This was her first time travelling to the US and it was a great opportunity to introduce her to American culture and lifestyle. I was also able to practice my language skills with her and get information about her life in Costa Rica. After my exchange student left she wrote each member of my family a letter saying how she had a wonderful experience and how it changed her life forever.

In kind, I’d like to take advantage of a very similar program. For my summer vacation, I will be studying abroad in Costa Rica. This would also be my first international trip! I would like to immerse myself in this Spanish speaking country and experience their culture and lifestyle. Now couldn’t be a better time! My sophomore year I'll be in Spanish III and I believe this experience will help me in my advanced Spanish studies and help me reach my goal of fluency.

I am asking for donations to participate in a 2-week Costa Rica SOL Abroad High School program. I'd like to raise $3000 to pay for the travel and housing expenses and  money for activities while I'm there.