Emili represented the Norristown Area in Pennsylvania, United States, at ABTS 2018 as a student ambassador. At the conference in Lisbon, Portugal, she earned a digital badge in Intercultural Fluency. She practiced these skills working on a team of students from 4 different countries in the ABTS challenge, a competition based around designing an engaging STEM2D demonstration. Here’s what she had to say about BTE and ABTS:

My Favorite BTE memory is…

My favorite BTE memory is when we had a workshop where we conducted community service. We filled grocery bags with toothpaste, hand sanitizer, etc., wrote letters to the ill or homeless, and made sandwiches.

To me, BTE has meant…

To me, BTE has meant so much,because of the effort, dedication, and care the career coaches, staff, and coordinators put into making sure we have had a successful program and an effective one. They make sure all needs are met, and everyone is cared for, even if they had language barriers or cultural differences.

The most important thing I will take away from BTE is…

The most important thing I will take away from BTE is the knowledge, skills learned, lifelong memories, and friends. The overall preparation for the future and workforce is the most important, as it has impacted me greatly. However, I will always carry the new friendships built along the way. I am so grateful and happy!

I wanted to come to ABTS because…

I was interested in attending the ABTS trip for many reasons. I believed it would be such an amazing experience, full of knowledge and fun activities. Not only would this trip be beneficial, but it would also give me the opportunity to meet new people from around the world and learn from them.

Thanks to my time in BTE and at ABTS, in the future I will…

Thanks to my time in BTE and at ABTS, I am a well-rounded student and professional young adult, and I’m prepared for what my future holds. I will take those opportunities head on and use the professional skills and cultural lessons I’ve learned to be successful wherever life takes me. I also learned that in life there will always be times where you have to work with people regardless of differences and culture. We need to show curiosity, respect their differences, and incorporate their perspectives. You don’t always see everything, or the full picture, when something is presented. There is always so much more to things and we need to be aware of that. I feel as if I am prepared for the future after school, and life itself.

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We are proud to have awarded Emili a digital badge in Intercultural Fluency at ABTS 2018. She showed improvement in skills allowing one to work with people from other cultures. These are:

1. Show Curiosity
2. Recognize and challenge one’s own cultural biases
3. Appreciate Diverse Perspectives
4. Demonstrate Self Awareness