Based in Oakland, California, Envision Academy serves students from first-generation immigrant households who will be the first in their family to go to college. The school cultivates its students to become rigorous and reflective thinkers who uphold the school’s core values of respect, community, justice, growth, and discipline.

FLYTE will send them to Colombia in June 2019!

In his application, Jeremy wrote that at Envision Academy they want our students to be curious, collaborative, critical thinkers who are inspired agents of change. A cultural analysis is a perfect way to empower them to do so. All of our instruction is around project-based learning with real-world connections. FLYTE is as real-world connection as they can get! By stepping out of their comfort zones, our students can engage in collaborative inquiry and analysis in order to see their community through a new lens.

His students will explore Colombia through a different lens both literally and figuratively since Jeremy is a Digital Media Arts teacher and through the coursework that will be integrated into the trip, they’ll learn how to use photography, film, and art to tell their own story. When they come home from their trip they will share all the lessons gained from their journey with their local Oakland community.

Jany, one of the students who will be going on the trip is already forming these connections and thinking about how she can use what she learns from the trip to help others.

I believe Oakland and a country like Colombia are similar. I feel strongly about that and in the future, I would like to be able to give to communities like ours and theirs to see us reach our full potential like I know we can. I believe in helping the less fortunate and gaining knowledge from people that don’t look like us or come from the same backgrounds. I believe FLYTE can offer us an inside scoop on what that is like and create a new outlook for students like me.

As part of their itinerary, they’ll visit the Gold Museum and Bolivar Plaza in Bogota, then head to Cartagena where they’ll explore the Spanish Inquisition Museum, Afro-Caribbean street art in Getsemani, and take a tour of Palenque. Another vital part of their trip will be the service learning component where they’ll work with local non-profit organizations and learn more about what it’s like to live in these communities.

Another student, Veronica, has really profound insights about how her journey will impact her. She shares that,

I hope to gain a wider perspective of people living in Colombia and how that differs from people living in other parts of the world. I also want to humble myself and realize that I am privileged to be living in the United States. Although people of color are not the most well-treated people here I know some people have it worse. I want to learn about how people face struggles and how they heal through it. I want to hear stories and learn new perspectives. I want to see how people express themselves through art and dance and food. I want to be able to intertwine these experiences with my own and learn from them to grow as a person.

The future of our world is so bright because these students are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. We’re so excited to witness as they add another dimension to their learning and growth during their journey to Colombia.

The FLYTE Team visited Oakland in March, watch the video below to learn more about these remarkable students.