Anthony proudly represented his community of Santa Ana, CA at ABTS 2018 as a student ambassador. While in Lisbon, Portugal for the conference, he earned a digital badge in Intercultural Fluency. He practiced these skills working with an international team of students during the ABTS challenge, in which his team created a STEM2D demonstration meant to encourage students to study STEM2D. Here’s what he had to say about his time in BTE:

My Favorite BTE memory is…

My favorite BTE memory is the moment I saw all the BTE students in one room. I was surrounded by people who wanted to succeed just as much as I did. In a community characterized by crime and poverty it was reassuring to meet students with the same mindset and work ethic as me. I will always remember the moment I realized how a program like BTE can impact underprivileged students.

To me, BTE has meant…

To me, BTE has meant that opportunities exist for people like me. BTE helped me realize the potential I have when it comes to the careers I want to have. A program like BTE means that so many students now have the opportunity to tap into their undiscovered potential, skills, and abilities.

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

The most important thing I will take away from BTE is that success does not have a defined skin color, specific household income or social background. Students who seek and take advantage of programs like BTE will rewrite boundaries and surpass pre-determined expectations. I will leave knowing that BTE helped me reclaim some of the opportunities that students of color like me rarely have access to.

I wanted to come to ABTS because…

Throughout my high school experience, the BTE program has not only guided me through a rigorous academic journey, but has deeply inspired me to work to exceed standards already set in place. I was highly interested in attending the ABTS so that I would have the opportunity to give back to the program that has helped, mentored, and nurtured me into the driven student I am now

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

Thanks to my time in BTE and at ABTS, in my future I will continue looking at situations from different perspectives. I will strive to challenge my own cultural biases while continuing to look for the beauty of differences between people. BTE and my time at ABTS has prepared me for a promising multicultural world.

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We are proud to award Anthony a digital badge in Intercultural Fluency at ABTS 2018. He 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