Buenas tardes!

We are Jess and Kim, and we are so excited to be your Global Glimpse leaders on our adventure to Guaranda, Ecuador!

Kim Rocha (left) and Jessica Stovall (right)

We are so excited to meet you, and we thought we’d take a moment to introduce ourselves.

Hola! My name is Kim Rocha, and I am a paraprofessional at Noble Street College Prep in the city of Chicago. I am an alum from Noble Street as well and it has been such a different perspective  to see the side of an educator coming from being a student. I have been a world traveler since I was young, taking several family trips to Guatemala and Mexico to visit family and to study abroad multiple times in high school and college.

                Kim Rocha

My most meaningful trip has definitely been my trip to Accra, Ghana while as a senior in high school. Not only did I learn so much about another culture, but more importantly, I also learned who I was as a person and the importance traveling had on my life. When my colleague introduced me to Global Glimpse, I knew that it was a program I wanted to be a part of. Last year, through GG, I traveled to the Dominican Republic and it was such a highlight of my year that I helped expand the program by recruiting more students this year and teachers. I am excited to go to Ecuador this summer with all you and learn about another culture and help out a community in need. I hope to be the best leader to you all!

    Kim Rocha in Boulder, Colorado.

 

Hola!  My name is Jessica Stovall, and I have been an English teacher at Oak Park River Forest High School for the last 11 years.  This May, I wrapped up my last year of secondary education, and right after our trip I’ll be moving to California to do a PhD in Race, Inequality, and Language in Education at Stanford University.

              Jessica Stovall

I first traveled abroad when I was a junior in high school to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, and it gave me such a transformative appreciation for being a global citizen as well as the importance of building cross cultural connections. Because of this initial global trip, I studied abroad for a year in England in college, and I completed a Fulbright Scholarship three years ago to New Zealand. Last summer, I took 19 students for a two week cultural exchange with the indigenous Maori tribe that became my home during my Fulbright. Watching how this exchange impacted my students was one of the highlights of my entire teaching career, and I can honestly say that there is no greater way I can imagine ending my career as a high school teacher than spending two amazing weeks with the 21 of you!

         Jessica Stovall in Oaxaca, Mexico

 

We are looking forward to learning and growing with you in just three weeks!

Sincerely,

Jess and Kim