All American Road Trip

All American Road Trip

A little red Volkswagen took children past the east cost city skyline, along Route 66, through the desert and mountains, and to the Pacific Ocean on a road trip across the United States.

Changua’s Founding Females wanted to expand the way students experience America— it’s not just cowboys or blonde hair and fair skin. The People of America Museum highlighted the country’s diversity and challenged participants to reconsider what it means to be American. Photos of family and friends lined the walls, captioned with a snippet of their story.  

“This is Jaime. He was born in Mexico and his family moved to the United States when he was six years old. He grew up speaking Spanish and did not start learning English until he entered school in the US. He is American.”

On a post-it, students reflected on something they learned about what it means to be American before receiving a stamp in their passport and heading back on the highway.

They fired s’mores and wove friendship bracelets, took photos dressed as colonial Americans, colored bandanas in tie-dye, and twirled to the Cotton Eye Joe. Every road trip needs a rest stop— here the Higson family read English stories.

To Changhua’s International English Education Teaching Resource Center (CIEETRC), Yuanlin Elelmentary School (YES), and student volunteers from Ershui Junior High and Tianzhong Junior High, we are forever grateful. This event would not have been possible without their help.

We’ll always cherish this memory, keeping the smiles of the children close to our hearts. 

Changhua’s Founding Females: (pictured from left to right) Ellen Kim, Rachel Higson, Claire Pullan, Brittany Edwards, Charlotte Parker, Lauren Hail, Emily Dillemuth. (in our hearts) Natasha Willow.