The American Exchange Project (AEP) allows recent high school graduates to travel across the country at no personal cost. Last July, BEA graduates Valentin Alvarado, Ella Bahr, Tesla Bena Hernandez, Priscilla Cuevas and Mateaus Sanchez went on their trips to California, Texas, New York and Massachusetts. Above, Ella is pictured far right in Dallas, Texas.

Blue Earth recently welcomed a group of exchange students from across the country as part of its participation in the American Exchange Project (AEP).

However, the exchange program goes both ways. Last July, it was five BEA graduates’ turn to fly across the country and discover some place new.

The BEA School District is the first district in Minnesota to participate in the AEP program, which offers recent high school graduates the opportunity to travel to communities across the country at no personal cost.

The program is designed to expose students to communities which are different from their own. Ideally, their travels will introduce them to new people, places, foods, experiences and ideas - all within the United States’ borders.

Participating students can visit one of over 50 communities across the country, from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, to Albany, California; from Anchorage, Alaska, to Paris, Texas.

Blue Earth’s visiting AEP students hailed from New York City, New York; Albany, California; Meridian, Idaho; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Anchorage, Alaska.

Meanwhile, BEA graduates Grady Bahr, Maia Bahr, Sara Hernandez, Angel Martinez and Seth Levenhagen traveled to Vermont, Delaware, Louisiana, and Colorado earlier this summer.

You can read about their AEP adventures in a previous issue of the Register.

The latest BEA students to embark upon their exchange trips were Valentin Alvarado, Ella Bahr, Tesla Bena Hernandez, Priscilla Cuevas and Mateaus Sanchez

Valentin traveled to Albany, California, and Ella, Tesla, Priscilla and Mateaus told us all about their trips to Texas, New York and Massachusetts. Read on to learn about their travels.

Ella Bahr

Dallas, Texas

Prospective AEP students can craft a ‘top five’ list of destinations they would like to explore.

Ella says Texas was on her original ‘top five’ list, and that was where she went on July 19.

Ella expected scorching heat when she headed to the Lone Star State.

“It definitely exceeded my expectations to that,” she laughs.

She also expected Dallas to be a bigger city than her hometown of Blue Earth, which turned out to be the case.

“Compared to Blue Earth, there were so many different roadways,” Ella says. “I could never imagine driving around there.” 

Ella and her fellow AEP travelers stayed in an Airbnb. They were a group of seven in total, with students from the Midwest, like Ella, as well as Colorado and Maine.

Among other things, the itinerary paid homage to the Dallas Cowboys and Cheerleaders.

“We got to see a lot of the stadiums they had there for baseball and football,” Ella remembers. “We went on a tour of everything, including the Dallas Cheerleaders’ locker room.” 

The group also checked out some museums in the area, including the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which chronicles the assassination and legacy of John F. Kennedy, and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

Ella returned to Blue Earth on July 26 feeling satisfied with her experience.

“I think my favorite part was being around all the people from there,” she says. “For someone who hasn’t been able to go to a lot of places in the U.S., it was really cool to be able to go somewhere else and see all of the things that the U.S. has to offer.” 

Ella concludes, “At first, I was a little anxious about going. But then I got there and realized I get to meet all these people, and do all these things, and it’s completely free.”

Tesla Bena Hernandez

New York City, New York

Tesla headed to the Big Apple on July 5 with one clear objective in mind.

“I just knew they had good pizza,” she recalls.

In hindsight, Tesla says she did sample some good pizza in New York City. She also says she was surprised by the sheer number of people the city holds.

“I didn’t expect how crowded it was,” she says. “It’s a lot different from Minnesota.” 

Tesla stayed with a group of six AEP students in an Airbnb. Many of her roommates were from southern states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

They kept busy with a wide array of activities, including a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

The group also visited Governors Island, and, of course, attempted to sample as many different kinds of pizza as they could.

Tesla says the most enjoyable part of the trip was experiencing a new culture and environment.

She adds, “Going to New York was my first time leaving the state on a plane by myself. It makes me want to travel more. If I have the chance to save up, I think I would go back to New York.” 

Priscilla Cuevas

Gloucester,

Massachusetts

On July 19, Priscilla flew to the East Coast to stay with two other AEP students in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Priscilla and her fellow AEP travelers - who were from Texas and Arizona – experienced a true beach holiday in the Bay State.

Although Priscilla had expected blustery, chilly weather on the East Coast, she reports that in reality, the weather was in the high 80s.

“We went lobstering and caught lobster and crabs on a boat,” she recalls. The group also went snorkeling, played beach volleyball, and went cliff jumping and whale watching.

“Every single activity was outside,” Priscilla says.

The only indoor activity was a trip to Hammond Castle Museum, a century-old structure built by inventor John Hays Hammond Jr.

Priscilla brought home memories of a surprisingly tight-knit community when she left Gloucester, despite its size.

“Our host family knew everyone, even though it was a big town,” she remembers.

After having completed her trip, Priscilla says she is glad she signed up for the opportunity.

“I think it’s more important to travel when you’re younger – it’s more freeing,” she says. “It’s harder to travel when you’re older.”

Mateaus Sanchez

Oak Cliff, Texas

Mateaus expected a foray into ‘cowboy culture’ when he departed for the Oak Cliff, Texas area on July 19.

“As cheesy as it is,” he adds. “It wasn’t really like that. In some ways it was similar to Minnesota.” 

However, Mateaus says the Oak Cliff area was more urban than Blue Earth, and its size meant there was less of the ‘small town’ culture he is used to in Minnesota.

“In Minnesota, everyone knows everybody,” he explains.

Mateaus and a group of six other AEP students from South Dakota, Nashville, New Jersey, Georgia and Idaho stayed with an AEP Program manager in Texas, and their host kept them busy.

The group checked out the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and an indoor water park. They also took part in ‘Barbenheimer Weekend’ – the simultaneous release of the blockbuster films ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ on July 21.

And, the group visited the Fort Worth Stockyards.

“It’s a pretty big area of cattle drives,” Mateaus says. “It’s a mix of a cattle drive area and a mall.” 

Additionally, the students volunteered with the All-Stars Project of Dallas, an after-school program for disadvantaged youth.

Mateaus says that getting to meet new people was one of his favorite parts of the experience.

“The first day or so, I could definitely tell everybody was closed-off, or at least nervous, because we were from such diverse areas of the country,” he remembers. “As the days went on, we all clicked and found ways that we could relate.” 

He adds he is glad he signed up for the AEP program, even if traveling solo across the country seemed daunting at the time.

“I don’t think I would have had as good of, or as unique of an experience as I did if I just went on a week-long trip with my family or friends,” Mateaus says. “Being able to step out of your comfort zone and experience new cultures, is important for just about anyone.”