Under the motto “We are advancing towards our dream Costa Rica with each step we take, with each election”, five students from the National System of Scientific Schools will take a further step towards strengthening their human talent in the areas of Mathematics, Technology, Engineering and Sciences.
The students come from various communities in the country and will be recipients of scholarships from the CRUSA-AFS Intercultural Program, which since 2017 has encouraged young people from scientific schools to study abroad so that they can live an intercultural experience and open up greater and better opportunities for enter the labor market of the future, developing their talent in quality jobs.
The Program is part of the alliance between the CRUSA Foundation and AFS Costa Rica, with the support of the Embassy of the United States. Each scholarship has a value of $13,000 dollars per student, for a total of $65,000, and includes transportation, lodging, meals and compensation for personal expenses, for one academic year.
Three girls and two boys
For the 2022-2023 edition of the CRUSA-AFS Scholarship Program, the winners are three girls and two boys from the provinces of Puntarenas, Limón, Cartago, Alajuela and San José:
Geisel Thais Hernández Quesada – Pérez Zeledón Scientific School, San José
Erick Josué Cruz Mena – San Vito Scientific School, Puntarenas
Djedrielle Alexander Vargas – Atlantic Scientific School, Limón
Mariely de los Angeles Jiménez Salas – Cartago Scientific School
Keisy Jinett Chacón Rodríguez – Alajuela Scientific School
Enviable human talent
Flora Montealegre, executive director of the CRUSA Foundation, considers that Costa Rica has enviable human talent and great potential. Programs like this help young people have more and better professional opportunities.
“Students are the future of our country and through these programs they will be able to have more and better opportunities to undertake or obtain quality jobs and thus redefine the family, educational and work ecosystems. When a student goes one step further, it drives and motivates others to choose. At Fundación CRUSA we dream and work to find better opportunities for Costa Ricans, through the articulation of efforts with different actors. Let us challenge ourselves every day to lead Costa Rica towards a more prosperous, sustainable and inclusive country, promoting the development of human talent for the IV Industrial Revolution, productive transformation, sustainable technologies and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These young people fill us with pride and motivate us to continue working for the country,” said Montealegre.
This 2022, 10 girls and 9 boys with excellent academic profiles applied for the Program. The process consisted of an interview with the young people who advanced to a rigorous selection stage that included meeting various requirements and identifying their leadership skills, assertiveness and interest in intercultural issues.
They finish school in the US
The selection is made by a jury made up of representatives from Fundación CRUSA, AFS and the Embassy of the United States. Students will travel to the United States after completing the first semester of their eleventh year and will be placed by AFS in an American community, with a host family, and at a high school where they will attend classes for one academic year. Scholarship students throughout the process will participate in non-formal intercultural education activities and upon their return to Costa Rica they will resume their studies in eleventh year and graduate. From 2017 to now, 31 students from science schools have been recipients of these scholarships.