UGRAD Post
Dear UGRAD Post,
I’m thankful for the Dees family, my friendship family in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They have been taking care of me during my UGRAD experience and I had the opportunity to enjoy several special events around Thanksgiving with them. In this photo we are visiting a sample house, which they found interesting and took me there to look at it due to my interest in architecture. They toured with me around the house to see the innovations designed by the students from the University of Arkansas. I had a great experience!
– Jorge Fernando Zou Situ, Guatemala, University of Arkansas
Dear UGRAD Post,
I went to Austin on December 14th. It was a wonderful experience, because I visited the State Capitol building and the University of Texas at Austin. I met a really nice UGRADer there, Genesis Davila, and she showed me this amazing city.
I walked inside the Capitol building and learned about Texas history. The great Spanish, Mexican, and American heritage that this city represents caught my attention. It was really interesting to know that this state was an independent republic before it was added to the United States of America. I saw that entire legacy in the historic buildings and in the statues that represent freedom and progress. Taking the bus around Austin was also a great experience. I loved the paintings on the walls. The one that caught my attention was the “keep Austin weird,” because it represents the strong identity that people have in this city. It is a great cultural place where people have space to express themselves through street art.
The food was also really good. I ate a sandwich in a famous place in Austin where there are trailers and people sell the food inside of them. There was a man singing country songs, while I was enjoying the food. The stores were really interesting too, because the names fit with the random concept that you can see in the streets, that make people feel proud to live in this place. It was a great experience that I will never forget!
– Jimmy Alvarado, El Salvador, University of the Incarnate Word
Dear UGRAD Post,
A week ago, my assignment was to take a picture with a person who has helped me or at least is special for me, so I chose my host mother. She is like my second mother here, I sort of knew her before I came to Salt Lake City because one of the UGRADers who was here last year introduced her to me a couple of days before I arrived to Utah. We continued to meet and we have shared some beautiful experiences together. She is from the same religion as me and we tend to meet each other for Sunday night mass. In this picture, she took me to a shoe store because I needed shoes for winter.
– Judith Campos, Costa Rica, University of Utah
Dear UGRAD Post,
There are a lot of exciting experiences in my life; one of them is meeting new people. 
Through the Global UGRAD program I have met a lot of people. Professors, fellow friends, interns, roomies, there is no word to describe how grateful I am to the many of whom have inspired me and given me insights to my life. However, I would like to deliver my special thanks to Jessica Schlotfeldt, my advisor as well as my friend here at the University of Utah. She has been of so much help to me even before I came to the U.S. In this lovely moment, I would like to extend my warm gratitude to her.
– I Wayan Alit Sudarsana, Indonesia, University of Utah
Dear UGRAD Post,
Here are some of my pictures from a fall trip to New York City. It was a dream come true; I had always wanted to see the Big Apple. I love this city and the beauty that it offers. I visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island (a symbol of the American history), the World Trade Center, the beautiful Central Park with all the fall colors and the amazing times at Madison Square Garden. It was an unforgettable trip where I learned so much about the U.S., its culture and lifestyle.
– Cinthya Collado, Nicaragua, Presbyterian College