Anne Herb ’25 is not one to shy away from a challenge.

In fact, she leans in--all the way in. Late in the spring of her sophomore year, Anne was in search of a summer opportunity to improve her Spanish. Prep Spanish teacher Maureen Nemeth recommended Amigos de las Americas, a program that combines leadership development, cultural exchange and community service. Within a month, Anne had applied and received a full-ride scholarship to the six-week Los Santos program, “Coffee and Food Justice,” in Costa Rice.  

The program included a three-day briefing on language, culture, and logistics; a five-week homestay; a day of midterms; and a three-day concluding retreat. Sixteen US high school students were divided into homestays throughout the Costa Rican Zona de Los Santos, with 2-3 students assigned per community. The small community of Santa Maria de Dota (population 4,600) became Anne’s new home, a far cry from her 40,000-person "village” in Issaquah, Washington.  

Days in Santa Maria began with a three-hour shift on the coffee farm. Students helped with erosion control and plant maintenance. “Farming is a hard lifestyle. It is manual labor and hard work,” says Anne. “Girls from the neighboring community would often join us and the time passed quickly with lots of singing and laughter, and of course 100% language immersion.” She acknowledges that this “service” component didn’t feel like service because “that’s just what happens there, lots of work. The coffee farm is their life.” 

Afternoons were spent in the park playing games with the children and working on a community project. Anne partnered with local Costa Rican youths on a service project determined by the locals. She became a regular at the nearby retirement home playing cards, hosting BINGO games, and having long conversations with the elderly. Occasionally the students from Amigos communities came together to discuss their respective projects and provide advice to each other. “It was great to meet other youth who felt empowered to change their communities,” says Anne. “The special thing about Amigos is that they are very intentional in how they set up these projects so that they continue year-round.” 

Anne spent a lot of time bonding with her family over the TV, taking in Spanish dubbed versions of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and NCIS. “Watching movies was fun and helped my Spanish expand,” she says. “I remember we were very invested in a movie about a tsunami in Thailand, and we could not wait to find out what happened next. Those moments, of being huddled around the television as a family are memorable.” 

The immersion experience changed the trajectory of Anne’s Spanish skills. “When I first arrived, I felt awkward speaking Spanish,” she says. “I had to get comfortable making mistakes, and I made a lot! The little kids were great; they would teach me slang and variations on different words.  But the older ones told me my grammar needed work! Mentally it is super challenging to speak Spanish all day. I went to bed early each day because I was so exhausted. But I rose to the challenge.”  

Despite the many differences, Anne discovered the U.S. and Costa Rica have plenty of things in common. Take for example the global phenomenon Barbie movie. “The Barbie movie was released while I was in Costa Rica,” Anne says. “The movie was all over the news and all the girls were wearing hot pink. It surprised me to see how it translated. My friends and I had many conversations about how different life in Costa Rica is but at the end of the day we realized we are all just people and we share universal themes.” 

Ironically, goodbyes made both Anne’s best of and worst of lists.  

The students ended their trip with a three-day retreat. “We reflected on our experiences, engaged in long conversations, and discussed how to re-enter American culture. You get close to the other students who share this unique experience.” Anne says the program builds strong connections. “Now when I travel, I have people to visit. I didn’t have a bubble outside of Seattle before this.” 

“The people in Costa Rica are so vibrant. Friendly. Loving. Kind. Everyone is family oriented. So, it was heartbreaking to say goodbye to my host family,” Anne says. “I was amazed to see how close we got over those five weeks and how I fit into their family. By the end of the trip, they were introducing me to other people as their daughter. They made an impact on me. I know I will always have a place there.”