- Published on
Internships aren't just about "making coffee runs or filing paperwork"; they're about diving headfirst into real-world experiences, gaining invaluable skills, and making memories that last a lifetime 🌎✨.
Why Internships Matter
- Hands-On Experience: Internships allow you to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on experience in your field of interest. Whether you're passionate about wildlife conservation, education, hands-on work, art, business, etc, they will all have an impact on your life. This is your opportunity to get out there and test what works for you.
- Personal Growth: Internships aren't just about building your resume; they're also about building character. From stepping out of your comfort zone to tackling real-world challenges, internships push you to grow personally and professionally, setting you up for success in whatever path you choose to pursue.
Does it really work?
Take a look at our video highlighting a few
internship testimonials from alumni students
Student Takeaways:
- "It has really helped me do some of the things I wanted to do but wasn't comfortable with in the past."
- "I can do more than I make myself believe that I can."
- "Really trying to dive deep into what's the most optimal way for me to function. Testing things, learning how to fail, learning how to bounce back from those failures."
- "The hands on experience was so helpful, pretty much anything you could think would be put together. Once I knew what I wanted to learn I could engage and see it through. We talked a lot about responsibility and how to be a functional adult, and I was able to put that into action at the wildlife refuge. It was a safe environment where I could put myself out there and learn from that real world experience."
- Published on
Celebrating Success: Student Spotlight!
We are thrilled to celebrate Landon who recently graduated from our Bridge program and successfully earned his high school diploma through NSA's academic support. His journey has been a testament to growth, resilience, and the power of self-discovery.
Through engaging in therapeutic activities, immersive cultural experiences, and forging meaningful connections, Landon has a new sense of self for his future.
Before The Bridge:
"I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression. I felt like I couldn’t make many friends."
"I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression. I felt like I couldn’t make many friends."
Confidence:
"I feel more confident in myself in all areas. Confident when talking to people, confident in getting a job again and working."
"I feel more confident in myself in all areas. Confident when talking to people, confident in getting a job again and working."
The Aventuras:
"The one that really changed my perspective on things was La Tortuga. We made homes for hatching turtles."
"The one that really changed my perspective on things was La Tortuga. We made homes for hatching turtles."
Feedback:
"At first I was a little mad at feedbacks, now I understand it was to do the things I don’t necessarily want to do in the moment but that will help me in the long run."
"At first I was a little mad at feedbacks, now I understand it was to do the things I don’t necessarily want to do in the moment but that will help me in the long run."
Gratitude
"I want to thank my family for always being there. To the staff, I’ve never not felt welcome since arriving. Thank you to the students, you really helped form the experience here."
"This journey has helped me in a lot of aspects of my life and I’m excited to get back home to get a job and go to school."
"I want to thank my family for always being there. To the staff, I’ve never not felt welcome since arriving. Thank you to the students, you really helped form the experience here."
"This journey has helped me in a lot of aspects of my life and I’m excited to get back home to get a job and go to school."
- Published on
Turning the Worldview Upside Down!
Have you noticed how going away to a new place and meeting new people always teaches you something about yourself and where you come from?
It’s hard to see ourselves and our immediate environment with clarity because we are too close to it; in fact, we are inside it.
- Taking distance from your environment can be a huge gift to your awareness, discernment, and adaptability.
- It gives us the chance to perceive in refreshing ways.
It’s hard to see ourselves and our immediate environment with clarity because we are too close to it; in fact, we are inside it.
- Taking distance from your environment can be a huge gift to your awareness, discernment, and adaptability.
- It gives us the chance to perceive in refreshing ways.
Time and time again our graduates have highlighted two crucial ways in which coming from abroad to Costa Rica helped their personal growth:
- “Come as you are”: the Costa Rican culture is very welcoming and accepting, and The Bridge community emulates this wonderful characteristic. This helps our students feel like they can come out of their shells at their own pace, and begin to give themselves the chance to change.
- “Turning the worldview upside down”: being exposed to different ways of thinking, different problem-solving strategies, different values and lifestyles, truly transforms our students’ worlds. It challenges them to review their own assumptions and strategies, practice new ones, and decide which fits them best.
Check out where our quotes come from! Bridge Impact
- Published on
What is The Bridge’s methodology to improve students’ skills and their ability to respond?
The Bridge gives special attention to divergent learning, without fully disregarding convergent learning. Divergent learning seeks multiple solutions to a problem, whereas in convergent learning there is only one path to one answer to a problem.
Divergent learning is suitable for our students because:
Today’s world is globalized and rapidly changing. The right answer today might not be the right answer tomorrow, and the right answer in one context might not be the same in a different one.
Life is unpredictable. If response-ability is the goal, then relying on one or a small number of responses is risky. Learning how to generate multiple alternatives is much more adaptive.
Generally speaking, our students have experienced frustration when trying to solve problems like “everybody else solves them”. They are bright and full of potential, but the conventional formula has not worked for them. Learning their own unique formula for problem-solving requires an environment that exposes them to different perspectives and solutions, so they can find their way to their own unique formula.
Guided Exploration of Experience Design:
The brain learns through experience and practice. The more our senses and bodies are engaged in the experience, the more likely we are to learn. This means that while talking or watching videos can be a good way to learn, there is no better way than by taking action.
With the backdrop of an accepting culture and a highly enriching environment, our students are guided through a process we call Supportive Immersion.
With the backdrop of an accepting culture and a highly enriching environment, our students are guided through a process we call Supportive Immersion.
Supportive Immersion: Internships Social integration, College Classes, Community Living, Independent Living skills, Aventuras, Relationships, and more...