“When You Study Abroad, You’re Helping to Make America Stronger”
Interesting post on the White House Blog about the importance of study abroad opportunities:
“So we’ve had a pretty busy morning at the White House,” said Mrs. Obama, addressing an audience of more than a thousand young people from the Washington, DC area. President Obama and the First Lady began the day by welcoming Chinese President Hu Jintao for a State Visit.
Following the Arrival Ceremony, and continuing her focus on engaging youth around the world, the First Lady spoke to students about the importance of building relationships with their peers in China and creating a mutual understanding around the world.
She focused on the importance of studying abroad in support of the President’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” – a program that aims to increase the number of Americans who have the opportunity to study in China:
The fact is, with every friendship you make, and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world. That is so important. So when you study abroad, you’re actually helping to make America stronger.
And these experiences also set the stage for young people all over the world to come together and work together to make our world stronger, because make no mistake about it, whether it’s climate change or terrorism, economic recovery or the spread of nuclear weapons, for the U.S. and China, the defining challenges of our time are shared challenges. Neither of our countries can confront these alone. The only way forward, the only way to solve these problems, is by working together.
That’s why it is so important for more of our young people to live and study in each other’s countries. That’s how, student by student, we develop that habit of cooperation, by immersing yourself in someone else’s culture, by sharing your stories and letting them share theirs, by taking the time to get past the stereotypes and misperceptions that too often divide us.
Read the full post here: http://tinyurl.com/4vnx5kt
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