Ramar Kong

* My family is a major part in my life. My family is 100% supportive in anything I do. They give me strength, courage, a positive outlook on life, and most of all love. I couldn’t ask for anything else in the world, but with them, I can achieve the unthinkable. I live in a household, where I have two household incomes. I love my parents both, they teach me something new everyday on life. They want to see me go places in life, and grow up to be a successful young man. I have a little brother thats eleven, he keeps me motivated everyday. I have to be his role model, and a positive influence, as a big brother.
* My favorite food: Jerk Chicken off the GRILL!!!! I love the different spices, and blends of flavor all in one bite!
* I attend Uniondale High School. Uniondale High offers a high standard of education and helping youths to succeed in life.
* My favorite music: I am a professional music “DJ” I like to listen to different genres of music. Every type of music has its own background and culture behind it. I mostly like music that inspires and sets the right mood for any event
* My favorite hobbies consists of playing sports like, football, swimming, bowling, karate, and my favorite baseball. I like to go to live concerts! I am a huge fan of the beautiful and talented, BEYONC’E KNOWLES!!! I also like to be creative, taking things to the next level.
* My travel experiences: Florida, North Carolina, Canada, Bahamas, Disney Cruise- (various Islands), and my family’s hometown Jamaica.
* I am a very respectful and all-around person to be around. I like to discover things everyday, learn about different regions of the world, and their culture. I know that this journey and experience to Italy, Spain, and France will be forever life changing.

Jamie Del Rossi

About Me: I am so excited to be a part of People to People and traveling with all of you this summer! My name is Jamie and I live in East Northport. I was born on January 11, 1995. That makes me a freshman at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington. I live with my mom, my 3 older sisters Brittany, Gabrielle, and Jennifer, and my younger brother Luke. My father passed away in 2001 from kidney cancer and it was definitely the most difficult part of my entire family’s lives. The loss of my father has made my family become much closer and has also pushed me to work that much harder in life. I hope to attend college in a city area and live in NYC when I am older. A lot of my family members have lived there and I love the diversity and freedom that you feel while walking through the streets. I have 27 cousins and I love being with my friends or just a big group of people, so this will be a good experience for me! I may come off shy, but I love to meet new people and love to have a good time!

Interests: I played for my schools JV volleyball team this year and it was a great experience. I also play soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and golf but I decided not to play for my school teams because it was hard with school work. I really enjoy drawing because it is something that you can do at any time and it is so relaxing. I also love listening to music! Some of my favorite artists are Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Vampire Weekend, Franz Ferdinand, and the Black Eyed Peas. I can’t go a week without Gossip Girl or my magazinesJ My favorite subjects are math and science and I really only enjoy reading mystery books by people like James Patterson, Lois Duncan, and Agatha Christie. School isn’t terrible but…I can’t wait for this summer!

Sara Dunbar

Hey, my names Sara Dunbar. I’m a freshman at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead. I enjoy school very much! During my free time I love to be with my family and friends. I love relaxing at the beach and catching up on the juicy gossip in all my celebrity magazines. Going out on my boat and wakeboarding with my friends keeps me occupied during the summer. I kayak with my mom and take out my Jet Ski in the Great South Bay. I love being outside but when it’s not so nice out I enjoy watching a good movie! Global Studies and Biology interest me the most. I have an older brother James, 17, and a younger sister Emi, she’s 11. I live with both my parents and love them so much. They give me the chance to have all these wonderful experiences. I love to travel and have gone on many trips during my lifetime. I’m extremely excited to go to Europe and look forward to spending time and learning different cultures with everyone.

Marah Jolibois

About Me: My name is Marah Jolibois and I am a freshman at Valley Stream South High school. I was born on July 26th 1995 in Kew Garden Hills New York. At age 5 my parents, Martine and Jude Jolibois, and I moved to Valley Stream, where I currently reside. I am of Haitian descent. At age 6 I was blessed with my little sister Judymae. I am an honor student and hope to advance as a photo journalist in the future.

Hobbies: I have a passion for reading, swimming, writing, photography and dancing. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series, by J.K Rowling and the Princess Diaries series, by Meg Cabot. I started dancing at Leggz Ltd Dance when I was 5 years old and I’ve loved it ever since. I do tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and hip hop. With my dance studio I perform annually in a full length Nutcracker ballet with a live orchestra and dance in Disney World, Florida. I am a member of my high school orchestra playing the violin and the piano and I’m part of my school’s varsity track team.

Travel Experience: My family and I have had the great pleasure of traveling to many different states and countries. We have traveled to the Bahamas, Barbados, St. Martin, Haiti and various states around the United States. I have traveled with People to People previously in 2006 to Washington D.C. This will be my first travel experience by myself out of the country. With this group I hope to experience true life in other countries for this will be a voyage of a lifetime.

Orion Marchese

My name is Orion Marchese and it is my first time traveling with people to people. I am excited to be a part of this organization because I feel that traveling to other countries is the only way to truly learn about this country. Also I feel that traveling with people to people is a much better experience than being a tourist because with this organization you get a behind the scenes look at the country rather than being a tourist who doesn’t know where to look.

About me: I was born in Glen Cove N.Y. and have lived there all my life. I am currently in 9th grade at Glen Cove public high school. Glen cove is a very friendly town because everyone in the town knows each other so all the restaurants are owned and run by friends or friends of friends so it a very quaint town. I can speak Italian pretty well I have been taking it for four years and my grandmother speaks Italian. I have been in Boy Scouts for four years also. It is a very good way to teach people leadership skills as well as survival skills.

Hobbies: I have been playing guitar for about 3 years. I took lessons to learn how to read notes but I mostly taught myself how to play. Also about a year ago I started teaching myself how to play the piano being able to read notes made it easy for my to learn the instrument. I love listing to music to. But I really like older music from the sixties and seventies but I also like classical music to like Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven. Another hobby I have is stargazing I love reading constellation and often map stars.



Travel Experience:I haven’t really traveled much except to Florida and also to Canada when I went to Canada I went to Niagara Falls. The experiences was amazing seeing all of that water crashing down its truly breath taking. I also went to the museum, which tells the history of the falls, and the people who try to go over the falls in boats and also barrels!

Alex Gee

I knew my cultural heritage was Chinese American since my early childhood. I was born on January 25, 1994. Although my parents are Americanized, I discovered my fascinating identity through my parent’s anecdotes, and through my less assimilated grandmother who taught me of her experience growing up in China and of our language dialect of Cantonese. As a Chinese American I became proud of my culture and spread the aspects such as the food with my friends. While I was exploring the world, I began participating in community service activities such as my local Turkey Trot, that helps Jerry Kids and Lymphoma and Leukemia research, which really gave me insight into how people can make a huge difference united in helping a righteous cause.

I involved myself in wrestling which taught me self discipline, mental physical endurance, and how to be an independent hard working individual. Along my journey in life, I learned the philosophies of people such as Nietzsche and Socrates which taught me how to view life from different perspectives. Also I learned some fun little things such as how to solve the Rubix’s cube, how to make sushi, and how to skateboard. I was privileged enough to take a trip with my family throughout China, which really confirmed how truly wonderful my culture is and allowed me to see amazing works such as the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. I appreciate the opportunities I’ve had in life and I hope to further have more adventures in my life.

Caitlin Rudolph

About Me: I am sixteen years old and I am in eleventh grade at South Side High School in Rockville Centre. I am in the IB program at my school and my favorite classes are history and biology. I love learning about both US and global history and find different cultures especially interesting. I run on the cross country team and on the track and field team at my school.

Hobbies: In my free time I usually hang out with my friends. I also love to read. My favorite novel is To Kill a Mockingbird, but my favorite series is the Harry Potter books. I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice. I also like to go on the computer, and to watch different movies and television shows. My favorite movie is Apollo 13 and my favorite TV show to watch is Criminal Minds. I also love to ski during the winter and I go to the beach almost every day during the summer.

Travel Experience: I have had the opportunity to go on many vacations to different places; however I have only traveled out of the country twice. When I was going into ninth grade my family and I took a vacation to Mont Tremblant, Canada. I also went to the Bahamas last January with my friends. My family and I travel to Utah almost every year to go skiing, and for a couple years we went to California to ski there. I have also been to Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Florida. I have never been to Europe and I am looking forward to being able to do so.

Allyson Smolyar

About Me: My name is Allyson Smolyar and I am sixteen years old. I was born on April 29, 1993, which makes me a Taurus. I have blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. I am Russian. My dad is from Odessa, Ukraine, and my mom is from Moscow, the capital of Russia. I am bilingual. My first language was Russian, and I have been studying Spanish in school since seventh grade. I’m a junior in Lawrence High School in Nassau County. I spent my ninth grade year going to school in Lawrence Woodmere Academy, a private school, however I didn’t enjoy it. I’m very social and outgoing, and enjoy meeting new people.

Hobbies: I have been a dancer since I was three. Dancing is my passion. I learn diverse style such as ballet, Pointe, modern, hip-hop, pop and lock, salsa, ballroom, and jazz. At the age of fourteen, I began to teach as well as take classes. I love staying healthy and in shape. I began to run track in tenth grade, and am a captain of the Lawrence track team as of my junior year. I go to the gym an average of five days a week. I love shopping, and going out. I enjoy skiing. Every year I look forward to the summer because I love swimming and being on the beach in the sun. I love listening to music… it gets me through the day.

Travel Experience: My family loves to travel; hence I’ve been to a significant amount of places around the world. Domestically, I have visited Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont, and Illinois. Every year my family, family friends and I go on a vacation over the New Year. This consisted of nine years of vacationing in Dominican Republic, and a few years in other islands such as Aruba or Bahamas. When I turned twelve I took my first trip to Europe, which consisted of a one week stay in a villa in Italy, and a one week cruise around the Mediterranean, stopping in places such as Sicily, Monaco, Northern Africa, Spain, and more. We returned to Europe for summer trips and explored areas in France, such as Paris and Cannes, Barcelona, Spain, and Belgium. I have also been fortunate enough to go on a trip to Moscow, Russia, and Odessa, Ukraine, my parent’s home towns. I visited the beautiful culture of my people, and the experience was priceless.

Casey Grippo

Hey, my name's Casey and I'm currently a Freshman at Garden City High School. I'm one of the youngest in my grade, but you could never tell because a lot of my friends are older than me. I have both a mom and dad and I also a younger sister named Lindsay. Lindsay is one of my best friends and even though we love to argue, we always have fun together. I also have a shih tzu named Mandy. I'm crazy and I love to have fun!

School: My favorite class in school is photography. It's a film photography class and I feel a lot of satisfaction when I see my image develop in the chemicals. Photography is the perfect class for me because I love art, but I was never good at drawing or painting. My photo teacher lets us listen to our own music and work at our own pace, which makes it a fun environment.

Music: I love music and I feel like music makes up a big part of who a person is. My favorite bands are The Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane, Talking Heads, Grateful Dead, and Fleetwood Mac. Even though Rock makes up the majority of the music I listen to, I love all types of music especially techno and hip-hop.

T.V Shows & Movies: My favorite t.v show of all times is Bones, but I also love The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, and Gossip Girl. I watch tons of movies and some of my all-time favorites are Adventureland, Clueless, and Fierce People.

Hobbies: I love listening to my music, making memories with my friends, and dancing. I am on my high school kickline team. Kickline is like a mix between dance and cheer, basically like what the Rockettes do! I love performing for people.

My Travels: Every year during the summer, my family and I go on vacation to a different place. Mainly we go to Aruba, but we have also been to Hawaii, Turks & Caicos, as well as many places in the country. Two years ago, I went on a people to people trip to Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, and Britain. I made friends on that trip who I am still currently friends with. I am excited to hopefully have the same wonderful experience this year:).

Candra Marie McCoy

Hi, my name is Candra McCoy. I am 16 years old. I was born on June 18, 1993 at Glen Cove Hospital. I am currently a junior at Glen Cove High School. I am an AP/honor student, active member of DECA and Editor-in-Chief of my school's newspaper. My favorite subjects in school are Math, Mandarin Chinese and Social Studies. When I am older I hope to pursue a career in Psychology. My family is a very important factor of my life. I have a 1 year old sister named Brooke and a 23 year old brother named Angel. I am of Puerto Rican, African American and Welsh heritage. I have a small immediate family, while my extended family is very large.

I participate in three varsity sports: cross country, basketball and spring track. My favorite of the three is spring track because it’s exhilarating. In my track career, I have won several medals and I hope to win many more this year.
In my spare time, I love to read, draw, and watch movies. My favorite authors are Stephenie Meyer, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Tamara Summers. My favorite movies are Percy Jackson and the Olympians, A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. I also enjoy photography. My favorite season is spring because I love going outside, taking pictures and hanging out with friends. My favorite foods are Chinese, Spanish and Italian. I also love soup!

In the fall, I held my first job at Bayville Scream Park. I worked in the clown house and my stage name was "the Joker”. I had a great time hanging out with friends and scaring all the customers. I'll be starting drivers Ed this fall and I can't wait to start driving. "Look out all you people on the sidewalk, Candra's coming through!"

I've traveled to various places in the US. I've also traveled internationally to places like: Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Barbados, Mexico and my favorite Bermuda. I am so excited to be going to France, Spain and Italy this summer. I can't wait to create memories that will last a lifetime. Europe is going to be so exciting and hopefully the beginning of new friendships.

Tiara Dusenbury

Hey Everybody!! I’m Tiara Dusenbury

About Me: I was born December 8th 1993, I ‘m sixteen and I am a student at Uniondale High School. I have two sisters a younger one named Mya and an older sister named Monique, and I have one dog named Coco. When you first meet me I am very shy but once you get to know me I am a very fun person to be around and I love to laugh, and just have fun, and be myself. I’m really excited about going on this trip and making new friends, and I’m really excited about being able to try out my French in France.

Favorite Foods: I love Spanish food, but my most favorite food is Italian.

Subjects: Math and Science

Music: I like alternative, country, hip- hop, R & B, and rap music. Some of my favorite artists are green day, black eyed peas, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Tim McGraw, and Ne- Yo.

Authors: Jacqueline Woodson, Stephenie Meyer, Carrie Jones, and Michael Phillips.

Colors: Blue and Red

T.V. Shows and Movies: I really enjoy watching shows that can make me laugh such as The King of Queens, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. My favorite movies are Forrest Gump, Titanic and He’s just not that into you.

Hobbies: Some of my hobbies are reading, listening to music, dancing, and of course shopping. I also enjoy hanging out with friends and just watching a movie or just hanging out and having a good time.
Travel Experience: I have never gone anywhere out of the United States, so I’m very excited about being able to go overseas to Spain, Italy and France. Also I have never been on a plane so that would be another first for me; I am both scared and excited about going on a plane. Some places I’ve been to in the U.S. are Florida, New Jersey, Virginia, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York.

Blaise Dennis

About Me: My name is Blaise Dennis. I am 15 years old and I am happy to join you on this trip. I hope to make many friends on and during this trip. I am a sophomore and an honors student at Glen Cove High school. I take Italian as a foreign language and I can’t wait to try it out in Italy. I love Italy and that is why I am studying the language. I am very excited about going to Europe and I want to have fun. I have two little brothers named Garrett and Quinn. I also have two dogs that are both Airedales. Their names are Mac and Mazy.

Travel Experience: I have not traveled to many places. However, I have been lucky to go to Mexico, Canada, Florida, and Maine. The best trip was when I went to Mexico. I got to swim in the crystal clear blue warm water. I saw many colorful fish, a sea turtle and the coral reefs were just amazing. I also go camping every year with my dad and my brothers in the Catskills.


Hobbies: Aside from school work, I love playing Lacrosse during the spring, I play and referee soccer during the fall and during the summer I play wiffle ball with my dad. I play video games during the weekend too. In addition, another favorite hobby is drawing. I like to draw various subjects and improve my skills. I also like creating sculptures out of clay in school.

Erin Fitzpatrick

Hello I'm Erin Fitzpatrick!
I live in Smithtown and attend Smithtown High School West. I don’t have a very large immediate family, but I do have a large extended family. I only have one sister named Alyson. My dad’s side of the family lives in Colorado, and I love visiting whenever I can. I am super close to all my cousins and hope to go to college out there. When I am older, I either want to live in Colorado or California. My personality may seem shy at first, but once people get to know me they see I’m not really quiet and love to have fun. I’m always up for trying new things. I love making friends and talking to people. And I’m so excited to go on this trip with everyone and see new places!

Interests: Music and art are my main interests. I love photography and going to the beach and other places to take great pictures. I always have music playing around me. There is such a variety of my favorite musical artists, but my favorites would include Animal Collective, Bon Iver, Sublime, Regina Spektor, Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Lil Wayne, Mayday Parade, Vampire Weekend, Dashboard Confessional, And of course Coldplay. But that’s only a few! My friends and I paint my closet when we hang out and its so much fun. We have the best time blasting music and just painting whatever we feel like. Summer is my favorite part of the year. I love the beach and walking to the Fire Island Lighthouse. I don’t really like math or science. But I love creative writing and some social studies. I don’t really know what I want to be when I grow up, but I hope it involves traveling. I do spring track and enjoy basketball. One of my favorite places is SoHo in NYC. Its so artsy and fun…plus the food is amazing! My favorite food is Mexican, Thai, and Italian.

Travel Experience: I have traveled to almost every state in the United States because I go on long road trips with my cousins in the summer. It’s so much fun just going across the country and seeing new places. I went to sleep away camp for 2 weeks in Minnesota. I never went far overseas, but I have been to the Bahamas. The best place I have traveled is California because I love how everyone is so relaxed there, and its always sunny and a beach is never to far away.

Brian Chen

About Me: Hello, I’m Brian and I am a junior at Roslyn High School. I live with my younger brother (he’s twelve years old) and my parents. I was born in Flushing and moved to Roslyn a couple of years ago. In school, my favorite subject is math, so I may major in mathematics in college (I’m not too sure about this yet; I also like Chemistry and Physics).
A List of Favorites:

Subject: Math
Food: Sushi
Color: Blue
Sport: Football
TV Show: Family Guy

Hobbies: I enjoy swimming, playing football with my friends, and sleeping. I also play the drums and am a percussionist at the CYCNY Youth Orchestra, which is a non-profit organization that holds annual concerts, including playing at the Silvercrest Nursing Center, and last summer, a concert at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. I’m also a member of several clubs at my school, such as Math Team and Science Olympiad.

Travel Experience: I’ve been to China numerous times because I have family there. Other places I’ve been to include Toronto, Key West, and Myrtle Beach. I’m very excited to go to France and Spain over the summer. I’ve been to Europe once when I was a little kid, so I don’t remember most of it, so going to Europe will be a new experience for me.

Michael Frost

I am a student at George W. Hewlett High School and I’m currently in my sophomore year. I have always enjoyed learning the history of the world’s nations in history class; I have always been interested in math, too. I am an A- student and on my schools honor roll.

I am from a family that is very cultural. I am half Italian and we all follow a lot of Italian traditions like all holidays and Sunday dinners at my nonna’s (grandma) house where the whole family is present. Family is a very important and core foundation to us. This side of my family enjoys listening to classic Italian music, watching Italian television, and speaking Italian at the table. Food is also a big part of spending time together and we enjoy spending hours at the table as a family eating, talking and enjoying our time together. The other side of my family is from German, English, and Polish heritage. Though they are not as traditional, they still follow many traditions that were common to that of their heritage. I have learned a lot about European culture from my grandparents and other relatives from European nations, and I’m egger to learn even more by traveling with People to People.

From a young age I was always very interested in sports, whether watching or playing sports, I’ve always enjoyed being active. I like to play every sport for recreation, but the three sports I love, and play competitively are swimming, diving, and golf. This past swim season I was top 10 in the county for six dives and top 15 for eleven dives. I am also very into music, I love to listen to and play music. I am a drummer in school and in a band outside of school. I have learned a lot about music including how to write music for many instruments. I can recognize pitches by just listening. My favorite kind of music is Rock and Classic rock, but I like a little of everything, even jazz, or classic orchestra. I can enjoy all forms of music.

I also enjoy traveling because it gives me a chance to see the difference between our culture and the culture of another nation. Also being a musician I love the music of other nations because of its unique style. I have a little international travel experience and a good amount of domestic travel experience. I have traveled out of the country once; to Calabria, Italy to visit my family and to attend my cousin’s wedding. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I enjoyed meeting family for the first time and experiencing the wedding. It was similar to an American wedding but in many ways it was very different. We were in a small town called Rota Greca, where my grandpa grew up. Everybody in the town walked to the house of the bride’s family before the ceremony and then followed the limo on foot to the church. It was a beautiful community celebration. Also I visited Filendari another small town where my grandma grew up and had the opportunity to experience the Feast of Saint Marina (Festa di Santa Marina), which is a big celebration there. It was three days long and everyone in the town would attend church and then participate in a big town wide celebration. I also had the honor of dancing the Jiganti, which means “the giants.” This is where two costumes are made by the town’s people and worn to ward off evil or negative spirits from the festival. They are made to be giant figures, but happy looking to symbolize the good spirit of the festival. It was a great experience because there’s really nothing like it here on long island. Even though this tradition is celebrated in a local church in Inwood, NY, it’s not the same as it was in Italy.

I also travel a lot in side of the USA. One reason being me and my dad like NASCAR so we’ve been to a lot of races that are held on the eastern side of the United States, including an annual trip to the Daytona 500 in Daytona Florida for the past 10 years. I’ve been able to visit places like the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, and the Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, FL. These journeys were made by car, which have enabled me to see many states along the way. I love traveling a lot and I can’t wait to travel to Europe with People to People. I look forward to experiencing the wonderful opportunities ahead and to meeting and spending time with many new friends.

Brendan Quinn

My Siblings: one brother, Tom, a senior at Garden City High School, who had the Opportunity to be an ambassador in 2008 on the European Legacy Tour.

My pets: a dog, Mariska, and a parakeet, Sky

School: freshman at Garden City High School

Favorite Subject: My best subject is math.

My Activities: I am on the wrestling team, math team, Latin club, and engineering club. I am currently vice-president in my school’s engineering club.

My favorite food: Steak

My favorite band(s): Red Hot Chili Peppers and Greenday

Hobbies: I enjoy building, making games, and wrestling. I am currently in the planning stage of one of the engineering club’s projects. We are going to build a trebuchet once spring comes for the annual pumpkin flinging contest in Deer Park.

Travel: I have traveled to Ireland in 2005. While there, my family and I visited the southern portions of Ireland from Shannon to Dublin. In 2006, I traveled to Italy with my family. There, we visited Tuscany and Umbria, which included Florence, Pisa, San Geminiano, Lucca, and Perugia. I have also visited the Grand Canyon, Disney World, and the Florida Keys.

Toni Marie

About Me: I am delightfully elated to take this wonderful trip with all of you! I look forward to meeting everybody more in depth, I am so excited! I am a 16 year old old sophomore at North Valley Stream Junior-Senior High school. I have one brother who is 12 years old, his name is Matthew. I have two dogs, named Ally and Snickers, and one hamster whose name is Sabato. My favorite subjects are English, Art, Global History, Italian and US History. I speak Italian, a little bit of Sicilian and Bari dialect. I also know a little French and Japanese.

Favorite Foods: I enjoy eating everything, haha. But I do enjoy Italian, Spanish, and Japanese food! I try to eat as healthy as possible.

Music: I enjoy all genres, but I pertain more to Alternative and Italian music.

Authors&Books: My favorite authors are Sonya Sones and Ellen Hopkins. I read a lot of Japanese manga, but my favorite novels are all by Ellen Hopkins and Sonya Sones because of their unique writing style.

Color: I love art, so I am a fan of many colors. But I love cold colors! Such as blue, green, and purple.

TV Shows & Movies: I enjoy watching Psych, Royal Pains, Monk, King of the Hill, and The King of Queens. My favorite movies are Forrest Gump, Bronx Tale, and Seven Pounds.

Hobbies: I enjoy playing tennis and doing yoga in my spare time. I also draw and take pictures whenever I can. But I also enjoy hanging out with my friends on the weekends and watching movies!

Travel Experience: I have only traveled outside the United States once, I went to Mexico with my family for leisure. Mexico was beautiful, glorious place to see. I went to Cancun; seeing the white sand and clear waters. I also befriended some of the locals and learned a few things. Inside the United States I have been to upstate New York where I lived on a farm for a summer, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Sammi Levitz

My name is Sammi Levitz, I’m fifteen years old, and I’m a sophomore at Oceanside High School. I love to dance, sing, and act. I also love photography, fashion, and hanging out with my friends. My favorite school subject is Spanish. I like almost all types of music. I’m a vegetarian, I have a huge fear of bridges, my favorite number is 27, and my favorite color is purple. I have two brothers, Matt and Zach, My mom’s name is Kelli and my dad’s name is Michael, and I have a dog, Miley.

Two summers ago I went on the European Heritage trip with People to People. I went to Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France and England. Last summer I went on the Journey Through the South Pacific trip with People to People. I went to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.

Bryan Butler

My name is Bryan Butler and I have
two brothers. I live with them and
my parents. I go to JFK Bellmore
High School. I like pizza and other
Italian foods! I am a big music fan. I
play three instruments (piano,
saxophone, and guitar). I love to
listen to all music except country
and metal. In school my favorite
subjects are Spanish and math. My
hobbies are music, playing tennis
and hanging with friends. In the
summer I also like to swim and go
jet skiing. I went traveling this
summer across the country on a
teen tour. We went for a month sight
seeing throughout California and the
mid west. I also travel with my family
on vacations. I’m a fun person
looking to have a great time, and I'm
really excited for this summer

Molly Timmins

I am fifteen and am a sophomore at Garden City High School. I have a younger brother in middle school. I also have two dogs, Jasmin and Albus, and my lovely cat Tigger. To the left is a picture of me and my best friend Joanna.

My favorite subject in school is AP World History. I am doing exceptionally well in that class as well as in all of my other honors classes. I am also very involved in after school activities. I am secretary of my school's Student council as well as treasurer for both HOPE, an environmental club, and Habitat for Humanity.

I enjoy reading-all types of books- I especially enjoyed the Harry Potter Series. I love fantasy but am open to all books. I play soccer and I love to scrapbook. Sometimes my friends and I get together to scrapbook in my basement. In fact I made a scrapbook for my cousin for Christmas. I really love hanging out with my family. My cousin Peter takes my brother and I ice skating, kyacking, and all over the city. Last time we visted him two of my other cousins came along for a day of ice skating in Bryant Park and walking around NYC.

During the summer I enjoy bike riding with my friend James or going to the movies with my friends. I try and hang out with my friends despite my busy schedule. Every summer I go camping in Virginia and meet up with some family as well as some friends I met there one year. I also volunteer at my town's summer enrichment program for first through fifth grade.

I can't wait to go to Italy, France, and Sapin. It has always been my dream to go to Italy. I was especially excited to hear that we would be cooking with chefs in Italy! I love to cook, especially for my friends and family.

Last summer I went to Ireland to visit my very extended family. My mom's sister's family came along as well. We spent a few days in Dublin then traveled to County Meath to see Newgrange and Trim Castle. We spent our second week in Ardara in Donegal County where my grandmother grew up. We spen a lot of time with our cousins Colette, Danny, Tara, and Katrina, as well as meeting many aunts, uncles, and other cousins. I especially enjoyed climing Slieve League mountain with my cousin Colette. My aunt and Uncle took us on a tour of the area around the town. We saw Assaranca Falls and the Caves of Maghera; Doone Fort aka the O'Boyle fort which was was once dominated by my ancestors; the Dulman Stone, and much much more. I ate the best fish n' chips in all of Ireland right off a cart right outside my grandma's old home. It was the most amazing trip I have ever taken and I hope to feel the same way about the upcoming trip!!

Theresa Casazza

Info- I have a 17 year old brother and a 3 year old black lab named Sandy

School- I am a freshmen at South Side High School, My favorite subjects are english,global and my painting and drawing elective.

Favorites Food- anything Itallian
Music- alternative and pop
Authors- Ally Carter, Jen Calonita, James Patterson
Color- Purple
Tv shows- NCIS, White Collar, Castle

Hobbies- reading, playing competitive sports such as soccer and lacrosse, hanging out with friends and watching movies

Travel- Most of the places I have visited have a tropical climate such as the Bahamas, Florida, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and my all time favorite, Bermuda. Every time i go back to Bermuda I love it even more, the pink sand, turquoise waters, bright colored houses and the palm trees swaying in the light breeze. You never tire of the feeling you get when you arive, that you truly are in paradise

Michael Pierides

About Me: I’m a freshman currently attending H. Frank Carey High School. I have a sister, Julie, who is 12 years old and a brother, George, who is 10 years old. I am half Chinese and half Cypriot (Cyprus is an island that used to be a part of Greece, but now is independent), as my parents are both immigrants from their home countries, my mother from China and my father from Cyprus. I speak both Chinese and Greek, as well as Spanish. I attend Greek school every Monday night and Chinese school every Sunday. I will be taking the Greek regents this year and I hope to achieve high marks. I have 2 Syrian hamsters named Oreo and Amber, and a Betta (fish) named Berry (who’s berry colorful). I long for a dog; however, my parents refuse to have one. In school, my favorite classes are Science and Math, and I plan to major in something medical-related in college. As of now, I am not yet sure of where I wish to attend college, but I hope I can get into one that I’d like to go.

Hobbies: I play the piano, and I have played since I was 4 years old. I like to play for people who enjoy the music I play. I also play the guitar, which I also love to play. Some sports I play/do are badminton, snowboarding, swimming, tennis, rollerblading, handball, and baseball. I have played in several badminton tournaments in Queens and in Boston. Every winter, whenever given the chance, we go snowboarding upstate, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Vermont. We have also been to Vancouver, where the 2010 winter Olympics are currently taking place. In the summer, I am a part of the Rath Park swim team, along with a few of my friends. When taking a break from the laps we swim in the pool, my friends and I walk right across the park to play handball. Usually to get to the park, I rollerblade, practicing a few simple tricks I’ve learned. In the spring, I am a part of the H. Frank Carey varsity tennis team. I also play first base in Little League baseball, although I am not such a great hitter. Some kinds of music I like to listen include Rock, Classical, and some Pop. I am trying to improve my guitar playing so that I can play some of my favorite Rock songs.

Travel: I have been to many places around the world. I have visited a total of 14 states, going to places like Yellowstone Park, Disney World, and Niagara Falls. Outside the country, I have been to Canada, Cyprus, England, the Netherlands, and Greece. I’ve visited family in Cyprus, took a cruise to Greece, toured Amsterdam, but have not yet been to china.

Elizabeth Hunter

About me: I am very exited to be traveling with People to People this summer! I'm looking forward to going to Europe for the first time. I hope that this experience will help me with my Spanish and hopefully I will learn some French and Italian as well. I was born on August 19, 1995 in Woodbridge, Virginia. When I was three I moved to Long Island and I've lived here ever since. I attend Paul J. Gelinas Junior High school and I'm in ninth grade and my favorite subjects are English and History. I have a brother Ryan who is nineteen and a sister Lauren who’s sixteen. Both of them have traveled with People to People before but this will be my first time.

Hobbies: I'm a part of the winter track and field team at my high school and also the spring track team. I love it, even though the practices can sometimes leave me sore for days. I also love drawing and photography. Other then that I just love to have fun with my friends.

Travel: I have traveled to many places within the united states like Washington D.C., Main, and Florida. I recently traveled to Puerto Rico, and Mexico with my family, which was so much fun. I have also traveled to Canada and the Caribbean. I looking forward to traveling to Spain, France and Italy this summer!!

Christine LoFaso

It is an honor and a privilege to be able to participate in the People to People Ambassador Program. I cannot wait to go on this Mediterranean trip, and to be able to see and experience new things. I believe it will be a lot of fun and it will be exciting to meet new people. This will be an unforgettable experience, so...can we go now?


About Me: I am an eleventh grader at West Hempstead High School. I am looking forward to turning 17 in about a month. I can’t wait because I get to drive, although my parent’s don’t seem to be as happy about this as I am! I have an older brother who is a sophomore in college. I am happy to say that we are good friends. I also have a 12 ½ year old Yorkshire/Poodle named Brownie. I have always enjoyed art since my early finger painting days. Luckily my drawings and paintings have dramatically improved since then. I find grabbing my iPod, a pencil and my book and just sketching away to be a lot of fun. I don’t see art as my career in the future, but it’s nice to know that it will always be something that I can take with me, no matter where I end up.

Hobbies: Soccer has always been a part of my life. I started playing when I was in kindergarten. I am not sure you can really call that playing soccer, but I had fun running in bunches with all my friends. Since then, I have played every fall and spring season (except one due to injury), as well as a few winter leagues. It is a good thing I truly enjoy playing! I am proud to say that I have been on my school’s varsity soccer team for two years now. My parents are into skiing, so when I was about four, I was taken on my first ski trip. We had so much fun and I still look forward to our ski trips each year.

Travel Experience: Up until a few years ago, I had never left the East Coast. I had traveled to nearby states like Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts, but never anywhere really exciting. Two years ago, my family and I went on a cruise to the Mediterranean. We traveled to Italy, France and Spain, as well as Croatia and Sicily. On the plane ride home, I was already dreaming of returning one day to my favorite cities. I believe that my trip with People to People will be different from my previous one, because the cruise only gave me a small taste of each city. We arrived in whatever city it was early in the morning, got off the boat, walked around until about 5 or 6 pm and then we were back on the boat again sailing through the night to our next port of call. I can’t wait to travel and actually spend a day or two in these beautiful cities. I am also looking forward to sampling multiple flavors of the amazing gelato again!

Catie Adams

Hi my names Caitlin Adams but I insist you call me Catie.
I am a proud older sister of a wonderful little 10 year old.
I am extremely proud of all that she has accomplished.
I hope I serve as a strong figure in her like forever.
I also have many cousins ranging from 1 month old to 30 who are all important to me in different ways.
I am currently a sophomore at Valley Stream Central.
This past Fall i had the privilege to work with an amazing group of girls on Central's varsity soccer team.
It was an amazing experience i will never forget.
I have been part of Central's performing arts program for the past two years, it has tremendously impacted my life in a way i could never image.

I am currently in the acting concentration and aspire to be an actress one day.
I was cast as Gwendolyn Pigeon in the school play "Odd Couple" by Neil Simon.
I was able to work with many amazing people who i hope i will always be close with..
In my spare time I like to hang out with my friends a lot, they all mean a lot to me.
I'm always on my phone ! I text a lot.
My favorite subject in school is Chemistry
My favorite books are the Harry Potter Series and the Twilight Saga
I've never traveled away without my parents, so this will definitely be a new experience for me but I'm not scared I love trying new things and I'm a very independent person.

I have been to,
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Naples, Florida
Milford, Connecticut
and many other places.

I'm extremely excited for this experience and to meet new people! (:

Arielle Eva Dupiton

Family
• 1 two year old brother
• 1 sixteen year old sister
Me
• Baldwin High School
• 9th grade
Favorites
• Food- Italian food and PB&J
• Music- hip hop and R&B
• Subject- Math
Hobbies
• Playing the flute
• Hanging out with friends
• Facebook.com
• Swimming
Travel Experience
• Florida
• Maryland
• New jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Washington DC
• Tennessee
• Haiti
• Dominican Republic
• Canada
• Massachusetts
Fun Facts
• Outgoing
• Sociable
• Speak French, Creole and a little Spanish

Joelle Dupiton

Hello!
My name is Joelle Dupiton and I am 16 years old. My birthday is January 13, 1994. I am currently a sophomore at Baldwin Senior High School in the town of Baldwin.
I live with my mom, grandmother and younger sister Arielle, who is also a People to People delegate. We are pretty close to each other and like to spend time together having fun, despite all our differences.

Besides hanging out with my sister, I also love going to the movies, going skating, and going to the mall with my best friends. We all enjoy a variety of things from reading Twilight to listening to all kinds of music. I can’t say that I have a favorite of anything however. There is just so much to choose from.

I’ve traveled to a couple of different places so far. Some of my travel experiences were:

Haití
Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Canada
Cancún and Cozumel México
In the states (Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.)

Some fun facts about me are:

I can speak four different languages including French, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and English.
I had a pet dog for a week, a hamster for three days, and fish for one day
I absolutely LOVE Italian food(anything with cheese on it)
I’m afraid of heights
I do not like scary movies…or crickets
I am on my school’s Varsity Badminton team…which by the way is the best sport is EVER!

Cassandra Desbas

About Me: My name is Cassandra. I am sixteen years old. I was born at Winthrop Hospital in Mineola on August 28th 1993. I was raised on Long Island in Hempstead and attended Uniondale public schools until I reached high school. Currently, I am a junior at Sacred Heart Academy. I am an honor student and hope to study medicine at Columbia University someday.

Family: Both of my parents were born and raised in Haiti. They moved here to provide a better life for themselves and their families. I have two older brothers, a younger sister, and a younger brother. My family is my support system and I am very close to them. My grandfather is my hero. Unfortunately, he passed away three years ago. However, he always encouraged me to do my best and excel in everything that I do.

Hobbies: My hobbies include reading and listening to music, but my number one is dancing. I have been involved in dance since I was little. I have been lucky enough to experience several dance styles from ballet to African to modern day hip-hop. I don’t currently belong to a dance studio, but I am on a dance team at my school. It will always be a hobby of mine.

Travel Experience: I have travelled to several places within the United States such as Virginia Beach and Orlando, but I have never been overseas. I am very excited to visit France, Spain and Italy this year and step outside of my comfort zone. I hope that experiencing different cultures will give me a better understanding of the world and teach me to be open to things that are unfamiliar to me.

Eli Powell

About Me:
I am currently a junior at Lawrence Senior High School.
My hobbies include playing the violin, taking and editing photos, and browsing the internet.
My favorite classes this year are Anatomy, Syracuse Calculus, Italian, and Social Science Projects.
While I may not be involved in any sports teams I make up for this by being in numerous clubs.
I am planning to major in either education or medicine, hopefully at SUNY Geneseo.
I am also planning to minor in photography, video editing, and computer sciences.
I cannot wait to travel with all of you to Spain, France, and Italy this summer.
Family Information

I have one sister named Keren
On my dad’s side I have one aunt and uncle who have two daughters.
On my mom’s side I have four sets of aunts and uncles who each have sons and daughters.
On my both sides of my family I have numerous cousins.
My mom works as a teacher at Hicksville High School; she teaches both regents level and AP level chemistry.
My dad teaches anatomy and physiology at C.W. Post and he is also a science researcher.
My sister is currently a sophomore at SUNY Geneseo in upstate New York.
Favorites

Food: Pizza
Music: Some rap, rock, classic, jazz, and pop
Subjects: Science, math, and orchestra
Book Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Movies: The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Matrix trilogy, Inglorious Bastards, Zombieland, Watchmen, etc.
Books: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, the Harry Potter series, the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon series), a few Stephen King books, and a few of Edgar Allan Poe’s poems and short stories.
Travel Experience

I have been to:
Israel
Canada
Florida
Italy and Spain
Up State New York
Alaska
Pennsylvania
Washington D.C.
Brussels

Nicole Lee

About Me:
My names Nicole, but you can call me Nikki.
I’m fifteen, an only child and I attend Baldwin
Senior High School. I’m Half Italian and half Chinese.
I have 1 dog and her name is Tiffany. My mom and dad
are my heroes and I can’t picture my life without them in it.
I may come off as shy, but I’m the total opposite. I love to have
fun and be myself. My family and friends mean the world to me. I’m really excited to be going on this trip and meeting new people.

Hobbies and Friends:
My only hobby is dancing. It’s basically my life and I
won’t know what to do without it. I have the most
amazing dance teacher ever and her name is Tracy Platt. She has tought me so has taught me so much.
I dance at Oceanside Dance Center; the best dance studio
in the world! I hope to one make it on Broadway or even
open my own dance studio. Schools not a great fan
of mine, but I try my hardest to do well. OH! And my friends
are the best out there. We always have so much fun together
and I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t in my life, as well as my family.

Justin Deleon

About Me: I am very excited to be a part of People to People Student Ambassadors Programs for the trip to Europe 2010. I am looking forward to exploring all of the great cities of Europe and learning about the culture. This trip will also allow me to increase my leadership, social, and even French speaking skills.
I was born December 10, 1994 at Winthrop Hospital in Minneola, New York. My mother imigrated from Jamaica and my father’s parents from Trinidad. I have one sibling, my sister Deniece, who is four years younger than I, and a dog. His name is Rosco and he is of a mixed breed.

I currently attend Uniondale High School and I am in my freshman year. My favorite subjects are Science, English, French and History. In these classes, I feel I learn the most and they are fun to be in. I have no definite favorite food because I eat just about anything. The same goes for music; I listen to all types, I don’t favor the genres but the songs themselves.

Hobbies: Besides school work, I am involved in the Indoor track and field. The competition and the practices are challenging and brutal, but I really enjoy it. Outside of school, I’m involved with many church related activities. These activities are dancing, singing, technical support, and plays. My personal hobby, however, is drawing. Drawing for me is more like comic making.

Travel: Among travels, these were my family’s Summer Vacations. We visited Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida on several occasions. During the last few vacations, we traveled to the Caribbean. These places were Jamaica, Bahamas, and most recently; Aruba. On each of these vacations we stayed in a resort for a week, and then, returned to New York.

Nicole Silva-Leader Bio

I am so excited and honored to be serving as a Teacher Leader for the People to People Student Ambassador Programs this year. I think that travel offers an incredible opportunity to engage with, learn about, and develop understanding of diverse cultures, traditions, and peoples. My personal experiences traveling have truly broadened my perspective on life, values, and cultures, and have allowed me to meet and develop friendships with peoples from all over the world. I believe that People to People Student Ambassador Programs offer a very unique and in-depth opportunity to increase cross-cultural exchange and communication. I cannot wait to be a part of your journey on the Mediterranean Traditions trip, and hope to serve as a resource and partner as you discover what these incredible countries have to offer.

About Me: I am a social worker who has worked in clinic, hospital, and school settings. I have enjoyed working with people from many different backgrounds and of different ages, but my passion is for working with children and teenagers. I absolutely love that I get to be a nonjudgmental support and advocate for kids who are struggling and in need of help. I recently got married, and am very excited about the fact that my husband and I will be traveling together as teacher leaders on the Mediterranean Traditions trip. We have done a lot of traveling together, and are looking forward to sharing with you what we have learned in our travels. In particular, we hope that our knowledge about Italy will help to enrich your journey, as we both met there and lived/studied there for several months!

Hobbies: I have always loved learning and using foreign languages, and speak both Spanish and Italian. Whenever I am preparing for a trip abroad, I always try to learn as much of the language of that country as I possibly can, so that I can communicate a bit with the locals. I find that learning a language helps you to connect to the people, culture, and history of a destination on a deeper level. Even if you only learn a few words or phrases, it makes a big difference and I have found that the people you are visiting really appreciate your effort! In my free time, I also love to ski, go camping, and go hiking. Volunteering is also very important to me, and I am currently training to be a disaster mental health volunteer for the American Red Cross.

Travel Experience: I have had the opportunity to travel to many different countries over the last 10 years. In high school, I traveled with other students (just like all of you!) to Italy for ten days, and got to visit cities like Rome, Florence, Assisi, San Gimignano, Venice, and Capri. It was the first time that I had been out of the country, and I have been hooked on travel ever since that trip. Since then, I have had the pleasure of traveling to Croatia, France, Greece, Brazil, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and San Francisco. Some of these experiences have been very unique in that they offered me an opportunity to stay with locals and avoid a more “touristy” trip: in Croatia, I spent two weeks on a tiny island (with a population of 80 people!) with a close friend of mine whose father was born there. In Brazil, I stayed with my husband’s family, which was exciting and interesting and helped us to really understand what it is like to live in that country. I studied abroad in both Puerto Rico and Italy, taking language and social work classes at local universities. I learned a lot about Italian language, food, culture, and history while I was in Florence, which was very special for me since I am Italian-American. I look forward to sharing this with you during our time in Italy!

Alex Weinrauch

Family: My family exemplifies a significant portion of my life. I spend the greatest amount of time with them. Also, I am grateful for the love and support of my mother and father. However, 3 years ago we were burdened with the death of my father, caused by kidney cancer. In addition, I have an older sister, Ashley, whom is 24 years old (we are 7 years apart) and she has graduated from SUNY Cortland with a major in elementary education. Although we are 7 years apart, we maintain a relatively decent relationship.

School: I am currently a junior at George W. Hewlett High School. I am a conscientious and hard working student. My favorite subjects are English and History. Further, I am planning to major in Business Management/Administration [hopefully at SUNY Binghamton].
Favorites:
§ Food – Italian
§ Snack – Ice Cream
§ Music – Pop
§ Animal – Dog

Hobbies: When I am not completing school work, I like to listen to music.

Travel Experience: I love to go on vacation. I have primarily been to places within the United States including California, Florida, and Wisconsin. However, I have also traveled to Toronto and Niagara Falls in Canada and the Caribbean Islands. I am ecstatic to be traveling to Europe with People to People due to the fact that I have never traveled overseas before. In the future, I also wish to travel to the continents of Africa and Australia.

Welcome Delegates

Hi everyone,

Use this blogspot to view the biographies of all the student ambassadors that you will be traveling with.

Matthew Silva- Leader Bio

I cannot wait to travel with all of you through Spain, France, and Italy this summer. I have been fortunate enough to travel through different parts of Europe over the last few years, and have been captivated by the history, art, and architecture that you find in European countries. I look forward to being an important part of your journey and experience this summer.

About Me: I am a technology teacher in the Sachem Central School District. I have worked with both middle school and high school students during my career. It’s a lot of fun working in a field where my students are always up out of their seats and working in my classroom. I love teaching my students about design and problem solving and witnessing them learning skills that will shape their future. I come from a diverse cultural background, as my mother was born in Argentina by Italian parents and my father was born in Brazil. As a kid it was commonplace to hear Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and English spoken at one dinner table. This unique upbringing is something that helped lead me to People to People, and I look forward to our upcoming trip.

Hobbies: My profession in technology is a very broad discipline that has trained me in many different things. This has been a means of fueling many of my interests and hobbies. I like to do carpentry, play guitar, listen to vinyl records, read books about architecture and design, go to museums, paint, and draw. I purchased my first home this past spring, and have been enjoying remodeling the house ever since then. I also like to say that traveling is a hobby of mine as I try to do it at any chance I get.

Travel Experience: I have had the great fortune of traveling to many different places over the last few years, both domestically and internationally. My first major trip was when I was a senior in high school and I went on a tour of Italy with my mother and father. This experience had an immense impact on who I have become over the past 7 years. That one experience gave me a great perspective on the world while also instilling a passion for travel and thirst for culture. Since then I have been abroad to Croatia, France, Switzerland, Greece, and Brazil, while also traveling domestically to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Detroit. Several of these trips were during college, and were dedicated to exploring industrial design and architecture. I had the opportunity to visit Apple Computer’s headquarters, the L.A. auto show, and even got a private tour with Jay Leno in his garage, where he holds his car collection! All of these experiences had their own culturally infused twists that have helped to shape who I am today. I love experiencing new things and look forward to witnessing all of you get the same fulfillment that I do out of traveling.