Three Michigan Virtual for Students students will spend four weeks this summer immersed in world language and culture thanks to a partnership with Middlebury Interactive Languages, the academic leader in world language education for K-12 students.
Samantha Huelke (Milan High School), Gabrielle Kosiba (O.E. Dunckel Middle School, Farmington Hills) and Jacob Scherba (Hartland High School) were awarded $5,995 scholarships to attend the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA), a four-week, residential language immersion academy at Green Mountain College in Vermont.
“The residential academy is a fun and effective way to experience a new language and culture with other teens from around the country,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of MVU. “I’m confident the summer academy will have a tremendous impact on the scholarship winners and influence their future academic and career plans in profound ways.”
Middlebury Interactive has adapted Middlebury College’s gold-standard immersion methodology and expert curriculum to the digital environment. Michigan Virtual has been working with Middlebury Interactive since 2011 to deliver a comprehensive offering of digital world language courses to K-12 students across Michigan. This year, more than 1,500 Michigan Virtual students are taking courses powered by Middlebury Interactive, ranging from middle school through high school Advanced Placement courses.
The scholarship students from Michigan Virtual are currently enrolled in one of the seven languages offered by Michigan’s online learning leader. Samantha, 11th grade, is taking AP Spanish; Gabrielle, 8th grade, is enrolled in German II; and Jacob, a senior, is studying AP French. Chinese, Japanese, Latin and American Sign Language are also available to Michigan students through Michigan Virtual.
Every summer, MMLA convenes residential academies held at prestigious liberal arts colleges across the United States and at select locations abroad. Students engage in four weeks of full-immersion language learning while living in a safe, supportive environment with state-of-the-art facilities and top language instructors.
“We have been pleased to partner with Michigan Virtual over the past several years to help more Michigan students gain the language skills and cultural understanding that will better prepare them for college and career success,” said Jane Swift, Chief Executive Officer at Middlebury Interactive Languages. “This scholarship program will allow these students to build on the language skills they have learned through Michigan Virtual and enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience this summer.”
About Michigan Virtual
Michigan Virtual is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established by the State of Michigan in 1998 to serve as a champion for online learning. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual for Students and Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute.
