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It’s easy to take for granted just how international we are as a school. It’s intrinsic to our character, and in our title printed on all prospectuses and signs. Maybe because it’s so obvious we’re an international community we forget just what that means and how unique our diversity is.
Last night our wonderful ambassadors arranged a culture fair. Decorations, logistics, performance slots and layout was organized entirely by this select group of dedicated second years. Cassy Le, a ambassador said of the experience- “You should have seen us moments before the thing started – everyone was running around freaking out, getting the presentations ready, printing out things, making sure the decorations were on point. Victoria was a fantastic host and I think overall we coordinated the whole thing really well and managed to get a lot of people involved.  This is one of the many things that make me love being in an international environment. I am super proud of all the students who creatively represented their culture and went out of their way to do a great job!”.
For the culture fair each country had a stand offering cuisine from their culture- rice and chicken and assorted peanuts from the African team, sweet cheese and chocolate from Norway, an eggplant based dish from Iran, hummus and crackers from the Jewish table…it was like a world buffet.
Aside from the food the students showcased their countries in various ways-
The African girls representing the countries of Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Angola performed a dance as colourful and lively as their national dress.
I asked Asma’u why she and her friends decided to create a ‘Team Africa’ and present together their different countries. This was her response- “It was great to have the opportunity to present Africa as a continent and making it clear that it consist of several countries just like Europe because many don’t know. Presenting Africa as a whole was a way of showing unity in the continent”.
Other performances included Jewish folk songs and the Tanbour (a traditional Iranian instrument).
Dzung decided to perform a dance representing ‘Alien’ culture. The soundtrack was a cut up using samples of various western music, notably Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’. Using comedy skills and his talent for popping and isolation dance Dzung captured the audience’s attention. His unusual choice to represent ‘Alien culture’ shows the struggles we have in fitting into new cultures or having an allegiance to more than one country.
Our Deputy Boarding Manager and School Nurse, Janine, showcased Jewish culture both through her food stall and vocal performance. As a new member of staff this was Janine’s first culture fair and she was very impressed “I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Cultural Fair. It was an energetic and well-organised event with representation from many of the cultures living and studying within EF. Students had gone to a lot of trouble to prepare presentations and performances and create key dishes from their home countries. I believe this is an extremely positive moment in the school calendar when we can all learn more about each other’s backgrounds in a warm and respectful environment and particularly become more aware of what we share and how we differ”.

It’s easy to take for granted just how international we are as a school. It’s intrinsic to our character, and in our title printed on all prospectuses.

EF Academy Oxford’s culture fair  – The place to be! - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford’s culture fair  – The place to be! ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford’s culture fair – The place to be!

Ef academy oxfords culture fair place

Recently a group of students organized a number of very successful fundraising activities to support Children in Need, making a grand total 0f £322. Here, first year Cassy Le describes how they did this:
The Children In Need (CIN) 2015 committee put together a series of fun activities during a week for students as well as teachers to raise money for the national charity BBC Children in Need.
We organized these activities to attempt to get as many students involved as possible and keep it interesting for everyone but most importantly to raise awareness on the issue.
Our main event was Pajamas Day on Friday the 20th of November. Every student was asked to come in pajamas at school for the day and those who didn’t were required to make a donation. The activity had a great reception and many donated either way which is amazing!
But it doesn’t stop there! On the same day, we got teachers to volunteer to another fun activity. Students were able to buy some plates with whipped cream on and throw it on their teachers. We all found it hilarious and it was really fun to see so many have a good time whilst helping us by donating!
Along with these activities, we had several other things. Some of us were selling snacks, making and selling bracelets, organizing movie and pizza nights as well as having a table tennis competition with a special betting system. All the money obviously went to the charity.
As a dare, two boys from second year were appointed the CIN 2015 mascots, which meant that if we managed to raise over £150, they would have to dress up as Ana and Elsa (from Disney’s Frozen), makeup and dresses on and walk around the school for the day. And guess what? We did it! Thanks to everyone who participated, we managed to collect well over that sum and there were two princesses walking around the school for the day!
All in all, the activities were very successful and we would like to thank everyone who made a donation and helped us make this possible!
Originally published December 4, 2015.

The Children In Need (CIN) 2015 committee put together a series of fun activities to raise money for the national charity BBC Children in Need.

EF Academy Oxford raise money for Children in Need - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford raise money for Children in Need ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford raise money for Children in Need

Ef academy oxford raise money children need

On Tuesday 12th April, EF Academy Oxford invited Lukas Lutz to talk as part of The Bridge Seminar Series: Lukas is a PhD student in the Department of Materials, University of Oxford. His research looks at novel energy storage materials, and he agreed, in the hope of inspiring students, to discuss his work, along with his experiences as a PhD researcher and his current engagement with a Start Up Company.
Lukas’s seminar was incredibly inspiring: he began by explaining a little about his background: he grew up in Germany, and admitted he was largely uninspired as a high school student.However, once Lukas found his passion in energy storage development, he excelled through academia, studying in Zurich, Berkeley, and France, before undertaking his PHD dually at the University of Oxford and in Paris.  Lukas emphasized to our students the importance of finding what you are interested in, and formulating a plan around that. He told them to go after their dreams, to ask for what they want in life, to be creative and to get involved in everything, as he has thus far. Luka’s seminar also included some detail about lithium ion batteries, which really stretched the students knowledge – a few of them were able to explain his diagrams which was very impressive!
At the end of the seminar, Lukas spoke of the importance of identifying a problem, which in his case was efficient energy storage, and taking that problem forwards as he has – he now has his own start-up company which runs testing platforms for battery materials. The students engaged and related greatly to Lukas, and many stayed behind after the seminar to exchange details and ask his advice.
The Bridge Seminar Series is off to a fantastic start, and we look forwards to hosting more inspirational speakers.

On Tuesday 12th April, EF Academy Oxford invited Lukas Lutz to talk as part of The Bridge Seminar Series:

EF Academy Oxford presents The Bridge Seminar Series: Energy storage - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford presents The Bridge Seminar Series: Energy storage ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford presents The Bridge Seminar Series: Energy storage

Ef academy oxford presents bridge seminar series energy storage

This academic year, EF Academy Oxford has re-established its house system, which is a traditional feature of schools in England. The student body is divided up into sub-groups, in our case four, and so each student becomes a member of a house, our houses being named after Oxford Colleges: Merton, Balliol, Oriel and Keble. The idea is for the students to immediately upon starting at the school, gain a sense of belonging to a community, in which loyalty, a sense of pride and friendly competition (between the other houses) is promoted.
Here at EF, there are a number of ways that we use the house system to achieve these goals: through the Merit scheme and Inter-house competitions.
Merits 
Merits are awarded for signs of excellence. This is defined as exceeding ones general intellectual ability and showing clear signs of specific academic aptitude, consistently participating in extracurricular activities and finally, for clearly exercising at least one of the elements of the IB learner profile: thinkers, inquirers, knowledgeable, communicators, principled, open-minded, balanced, risk takers, reflective and caring. (This is also applicable to A-Level students and not exclusive to IB students.)
Inter-house Competitions 
EF has a thriving and competitive inter-house structure with students competing across a range of extracurricular activities, such as Football, Basketball, Debating and Chess. Each activities club has at least one competition per term. The points are awarded accordingly: 1st place (10 points) 2nd place (7 points) 3rd place (5 points) and 5th place (3 points).
Subsequently, at the end of last term all the Merit Awards and Inter-house competition points were added up and it was established that Merton had gained the most. As a prize for all their hard-work and dedication to perform their best on an individual, as well as team basis, the whole house, which amounts to 50 students, were invited to go to an all you can eat, Asian-fusion restaurant for dinner on Friday evening. A suitably fulfilling and filling reward.

This academic year, EF Academy Oxford has re-established its house system, which is a traditional feature of schools in England.

EF Academy Oxford crown Merton as the winning house - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford crown Merton as the winning house ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Oxford crown Merton as the winning house

Ef academy oxford crown merton winning house

Last Tuesday <a href="https://www.umr-cnrm.fr/gmgec-old/page_perso/index_clotilde.html">Dr. Clotilde Dubois</a>, of the Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM, Météo-France) came to EF Academy Oxford to give a presentation about global warming and her experiences in this area of science.
For her research, Dr. Dubois traveled to Antarctica with her research team. To get to their final destination they had to travel for a very long time, first by boat to Antarctica, and afterwards in jeeps that could drive on snow and ice to where Dr. Dubois and her team would do the research.
She explained that they drilled very deep into the ice to be able to research the different structures of ice that had developed over thousands of years. Carbon dioxide is known to dissolve in water and therefore also in ice. So they could see the different concentrations of carbon dioxide that had been in the atmosphere over this long period of time. With that information a graph could be plotted and they saw that the concentration of CO2 behaved in a wave-like pattern.
Dr. Dubois explained that there is a correlation between the temperature on Earth and the carbon dioxide emission. During the summer months, plants are very active in taking up carbon dioxide for their photosynthesis which decreases the concentration in the atmosphere. In winter months it’s the other way around; there is less energy for plants to carry out photosynthesis which keeps the CO2concentration in the atmosphere higher.
For ages, this pattern had been the same until a decade ago, when there was an extreme increase in the carbon dioxide concentration probably because we, the western world, emit so much carbon dioxide. It was almost shocking to see this difference.
Dr. Dubois’s talk was very informative and clearly explained with a lot of interesting pictures supporting her research. Her presentation has made me more aware of global warming and it has given me a better picture of how much we are polluting the earth because of our own needs.
 
 This post is by Laura Vissers, a current student at EF Academy Oxford who is doing the IB Year 2.

Dr. Clotilde Dubois, of the Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques (CNRM, Météo-France) came to EF Academy Oxford to give a presentation.

Antarctic researcher shares findings with EF Academy Oxford science students - EF Academy Blog

Antarctic researcher shares findings with EF Academy Oxford science students ‹ EF Academy Blog

Antarctic researcher shares findings with EF Academy Oxford science students

Antarctic researcher shares findings ef academy oxford science students

At the end of last term, Physics students from EF Academy Oxford visited the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. We first attended a lecture on how a particle accelerator works and what it is used for. We were introduced to different kinds of accelerators (circular accelerators, linear accelerators), where they are, why they are at their current positions, and how to build them. After that, there was another lecture introducing the fundamentals of particle physics. Researchers talked briefly about Quantum Field Theory (the standard model) and how it can describe the world very well, and the also explained some problems in this theory that are yet to be solved. Higgs boson was also mentioned at this point. (Basically, the standard model particles acquire their mass by interacting with the Higgs field, which is filled with Higgs boson.)
In our visit, we went on a tour to ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, which produces beams of neutrons and muons that allow scientists to study materials at the atomic level. We visited the labs and saw an experiment that was being prepared. One part I remember vividly was seeing liquid nitrogen, which is widely used for cooling in experiments.
In the next lecture, we were introduced to a collider. A collider is an accelerator in which two beams of particles are accelerated to very high speed and made to collide. By doing so, scientists can learn more about elementary particles from the collision. One example is the discovery of Higgs boson. This was first observed on 4 July 2012 at Large Hardon Collider. Researchers there found evidence of a particle that fitted the theoretical expectation of Higgs boson. And that was what we tried to do at the following workshop – to identify different elementary particles in collisions and to find the trace of Higgs boson in a simulation.
Finally, we attended a lecture on the application of an accelerator. The accelerator has helped with the study of the structure and composition of materials (using ion beam), and with cancer treatment.
The other big event entered was the British Physics Olympiad (BPO) Challenge. The competition is run by the University of Oxford, and is an opportunity for the best physics students in the UK to stretch their lateral thinking skills and apply fundamental physical principles to novel situations. It is designed to test understanding and problem-solving skills.
In the challenge, I encountered some open-ended questions that are very interesting, and they really tested my knowledge, problem-solving skills and understanding.  At first, I just wanted to challenge myself and meanwhile have fun with the problem solving, but it turned out that I won a Silver award, which will help with my university application!
 
Written by: Yuyuan Huang, A-level Year 1 student
 
[Head’s note: only 100 Silvers are awarded each year, and over 1,600 top young physics students in the UK enter the competition – so Yuyuan’s achievement is very special: congratulations!]
 
 
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At the end of last term, Physics students from EF Academy Oxford visited the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Academic extension at EF Academy Oxford: Physics update - EF Academy Blog

Academic extension at EF Academy Oxford: Physics update ‹ EF Academy Blog

Academic extension at EF Academy Oxford: Physics update

Academic extension ef academy oxford physics update

On Friday Nov. 11th, students at EF Academy New York had the chance to take their workouts to an Olympic level when three-time Olympian DeeDee Trotter visited the school for the day.
The inspiring track star won the 400m race in the NCAA collegiate national competition in 2004 when she was a student at the University of Tennessee. From there she competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games representing the USA and racing the 4x400m relay (2004 and 2012) and the 400m race (2012), winning two golds and a bronze respectively. She retired as a competitive athlete this summer and now travels the world as EF’s Olympics Ambassador.
During her visit, students had the opportunity to hear her tell her story and describe what it took for her to accomplish all that she has. If that wasn’t motivating enough, DeeDee worked out with the students and played basketball with them before racing Dr. Mahoney, the school’s own Headteacher.
“Meeting and interviewing DeeDee Trotter was an incredible experience,” says Maya Nylund, a Student Ambassador who was selected to interview the guest for a video project. “DeeDee is a remarkably down-to-earth, warm person and her evident resilience is beyond impressive. Her story is moving and she has truly motivated me and many others who heard her presentation about dreaming without abandon.”
Maya’s classmate, Denis Mamaqi, echoed her thoughts, saying, “she is an amazing person with a lovely character and her background is a true life inspiration.”
As an EF Olympics Ambassador, DeeDee travels the worlds and shares her motivational message – “I can, I must, I will” – with audiences at schools, universities and offices around the world, and supports EF’s role as an official sponsor of the Olympic Games in PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. As she wows people of all ages, she reminds individuals that believing is the key to truly achieve greatness and encourages them to unleash their inner champions.

On Friday Nov. 11th, students at EF Academy New York had the chance to take their workouts when three-time Olympian DeeDee Trotter visited the school.

Olympic Gold Medalist DeeDee Trotter visits EF Academy New York - EF Academy Blog

Olympic Gold Medalist DeeDee Trotter visits EF Academy New York ‹ EF Academy Blog

Olympic Gold Medalist DeeDee Trotter visits EF Academy New York

Olympic gold medalist deedee trotter visits ef academy new york

Lions, tigers and bears, among other extraordinary animals, were on the agenda. On Friday the 17th, we went on a fun, engaging trip to the Bronx Zoo. This field trip was for animal and science lovers alike; it also provided students with the opportunity to make text to real world connections, by seeing the animals they learned about in class.
We arrived at the zoo at 10:30 a.m. and managed to see everything the students have learned about in class in that week’s Environment theme. During our exploration, the students carefully observed each animal; they asked questions and learned how to pronounce the name of each species and breed they saw. They also learned the difference between breeds within a species, such as the different between grizzly and brown bears. As they observed each exhibit, they spoke about their favorite animals, which were usually the most popular animals from their country.
They had a great time watching the tigers playing with each other; one of the most memorable experiences was when one of the tigers woke up and suddenly started walking close to the glass. Students not only watched our fury friends, but they also observed the aviary exhibit. Amongst the vibrancy of the various species of birds, the students spoke about the beautiful colors of the flamingos. They also enjoyed watching grey-adorned animals living in their watery habitat, such as the elephants and the magnanimous rhinos.
Before we left, the students were delighted to see the playful monkeys and huge slower moving tortoises. It was great to see our students establish so many connections to what they have learned in class.

EF Academy New York offers summer classes which also include excursions. For this trip, our student got to go to the Bronx Zoo.

EF Academy summer school: Bronx Zoo trip - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy summer school: Bronx Zoo trip ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy summer school: Bronx Zoo trip

Ef academy summer school bronx zoo trip

Our student success teams at EF Academy are committed to ensuring that every student’s experience is the best that it can be. We’d like you to meet Daniela Arcos, one of our Student Success Counselors from our New York campus.
<h3>Tell us about yourself: </h3>
I started working in EF Academy at the beginning of this academic year. I have a background in Psychology and I’ve had some experience working with both teenagers and younger children. Before moving to the United States I was living in Ecuador, my home country, so I’m familiar with the process of getting accustomed to a new culture and familiarizing oneself with a new language.
<h3>Tell us about your role at EF Academy! </h3>
My role in EF Academy is being available for my students and helping them with any difficulty they have, whether it’s academic or personal in nature. I am in close contact with the student’s teachers as well as residential team, so I am well aware of the student’s overall wellbeing. I am also available for the parents with any concern they might have, communicating the information to the people that can help in more specific matters, or simply reaching out to the student and being present for them.
<h3>What is your favorite part about your role at the school?</h3>
Definitely, talking to my students. I very much enjoy engaging with them and listening to their stories and/or difficulties. I believe that I have a lot to learn from them as well, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.
<h3>How does EF Academy prepare a student for the future?</h3>
The students in EF Academy have the opportunity to meet people, both students and staff members, from all over the world. For me, this is one of the greatest advantages of the school. Not only do they have the opportunity of learning from other cultures and languages, an eye-opening and enrichening experience in itself, but they are also constantly learning about respect and empathy. Furthermore, they learn how to be independent and responsible at a young age, which makes the transition to University easier. Having access to a wide variety of clubs and activities is also something unique, which allows students to engage in activities that can be very useful for them later on.
<h3>What should students know about living at EF Academy Thornwood, NY? And what do you like most about life at EF Academy Thornwood, NY?</h3>
Being next to one of most iconic cities in the world, the students at EF Academy Thornwood have an amazing advantage, as they can visit New York City almost every weekend if they wish to do so. This allows them to go to museums, restaurants, plays, parks and many other places and activities that are unique to this city. However, life in campus itself has great things as well. Personally, I believe there’s a general sense of involvement and care, since everyone seems to be working towards the common goal of improving this community every day.
<h3>What advice do you have for parents who are thinking about sending their child to EF Academy? Why should a student join EFA? </h3>
The students at EF Academy have the opportunity of engaging in a wonderful, unique experience! As previously mentioned, they meet people from all over the world and learn about different cultural practices and languages. They learn how to be more independent and responsible, both academically and personally. They have the opportunity of taking challenging courses that will prepare them for University, as well as being part of clubs and extracurricular activities. All of these great reasons to consider coming to EF Academy.
<h3>What can you be found doing during your free time? </h3>
In my free time I very much enjoy reading and watching good movies or TV shows. I also like keeping myself active, whether that means going for a walk, running or practicing some yoga.
 
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EF Academy prepares every student for success by providing an academic environment that works in combination with exceptional guidance and support.

Our student success teams at EF Academy are committed to ensuring that every student’s experience is the best that it can be. We’d like you to meet Daniela Arcos, one of our Student Success Counselors from our New York campus. Tell us about yourself:  I started working in EF Academy at the beginning of this academic …

Meet the team – student success with Daniela Arcos - EF Academy Blog

Meet the team – student success with Daniela Arcos ‹ EF Academy Blog

Meet the team – student success with Daniela Arcos

Meet team student success daniela arcos

Doing an internship for the first time can be a wonderful, but stressful experience. It is a unique opportunity to get work experience while still in school studying, and gives an insight into the work environment. Getting an internship requires work and good preparation, from the application to the last day. Here are some tips on how to become a successful intern:
Finding the internship that is right for you
Do you want to be a doctor? Then an internship in marketing might not be your thing. Finding the right internship is key. Of course, most would say that any internship is better than no internship due to the valuable work experience, but that does not mean that you should not try to find something that fits your own interest. There are several types of internships. You can do summer internships which can last between two weeks and three months. There are paid and unpaid internships, unpaid internships are more usual for high school students, while students and undergraduates are more likely to get paid internships.
Writing the cover letter
Read the requirements. Be sure to show how your skills and achievements are applicable to the situation. Do you regularly write a blog and want to work in copywriting? Did you participate in a regional or national math challenge and want to work in finance? This is the time to show it! Modesty won’t get you anywhere. However, it’s important that your skills are relevant to the job. It might be super cool that you’re a national champion in rock climbing, but this is not applicable for an internship in finance. It’s also good to get a second opinion. Ask a parent, guidance counselor or anyone else you think will  be able to give you good feedback.
Interview
If you’re able to get an interview there are some things to remember. Firstly, know the details of the internship, and the company that offers it. The interviewer will not be impressed if you end up asking questions that you should know the answer to. However, if you have more questions regarding the tasks you might get or the type of work you will be involved in, this is the time to ask it. Additionally, having some knowledge of the company or corporation you might work for will show you are already dedicated and you’re willing to go past the bare minimum. This is also a place to show your interest and knowledge regarding the type of internship.
Preparation
Take notes on the basic information about your internship. When it begins and ends, the working hours, and any other specific requirements such as dress code and other office policies. If you’re traveling to a different city or country, make sure to pack clothes that fit the dress code and weather. Know the basics of your internship. Does your internship require you to work with documents or spreadsheets? Make sure you know the essentials on how to use and navigate these sites.  Lastly, make sure you have the details in order. Does your internship require you to fly in? Do you have accommodation?  Are you commuting? Know which train/bus to take? These are details that are best not left to last minute.
During your stay
Don’t be late! Making a good first impression is important. Give yourself an extra 20 minutes the first day if you’re unsure about the route you need to take, that way, you will still have time if you get lost. The first day might be overwhelming. You will be in a completely new environment, meet new people, and possibly learn new skills – all in one day.
Ask questions! You are there to learn, and following your supervisor around only gets you so far. Asking questions is the fastest way to learn and pick up new skills.
Show you can do what you are asked to do. If you are able to get something to work on independently, whether it’s proofreading, research or similar,  show people you are able to do it, and within the given time frame. It’s important to show you’re hard working and independent.
Lastly, don’t complain. If you’re only getting tasks such as getting coffee or sorting files, that’s just how it is. It’s not always possible to make your day fun and dynamic, your supervisor has a job and sometimes the intern is stuck with the ‘boring stuff’.
All in all, enjoy your internship experience and most importantly, have fun!
 
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Students at EF Academy are always looking for new opportunities to learn and push themselves forward.

Getting an internship requires work and good preparation, from the application to the last day.

How to be a successful intern from application to the last day - EF Academy Blog

How to be a successful intern from application to the last day ‹ EF Academy Blog

How to be a successful intern from application to the last day

Successful intern application last day

My name is Tony Li. I’m currently a rising senior at EF Academy New York. Over the summer for two weeks, I completed an internship with the marketing and admission team at EF Hong Kong. It was undoubtedly an educational experience.
During the first week, I was asked to do market research specifically for the Hong Kong and Guangdong areas. As a follow-up to that, I was then asked to think about ideas on designing our online advertising slogans because I brought up the point that our current slogans are not intriguing enough.
In the second week, I was asked to create a PowerPoint about the highlights of EF Academy New York and a survival guide for new students arriving in September. Besides that, I was also asked to write a testimonial about my experience at EF Academy. Last but certainly not least, I helped with some other marketing and pre-departure tasks, including organizing contents for this year’s letters over the last three days. As I said at the beginning, this internship was a very educational experience for me because I learned about different marketing strategies, especially about search engine optimization.
Hyman, my manager, taught me a lot as I was doing my task. More importantly, this experience gave me a sense of working in an international company. This kind of social experience, in my opinion, is the most valuable part of this internship since it is something that I can never learn in a classroom. It, in many ways, helped me mentally prepare for life after graduating from university before I even enter university.

Over the summer for two weeks, I completed an internship with the marketing and admission team at EF Hong Kong.

My two weeks in Hong Kong - EF Academy Blog

My two weeks in Hong Kong ‹ EF Academy Blog

My two weeks in Hong Kong

Two weeks hong kong

Claudia Uribe comes from Mexico and currently studies in the IB program at EF Academy Torbay. She did a summer internship with EF London where she’s had the opportunity to explore new aspects of creative professions. With an interest in art and technology, Claudia spoke to us in June and explained why her internship provided her with such a valuable opportunity.
<h4>Q. How’s your internship experience been so far?</h4>
I am actually completing my second week of the internship and so far the experience has been full of unexpected but great moments. I have always said that EF cares about their employees and always motivates them to do their best, but I definitely confirmed it while working at one of their offices in London and visiting a couple of language schools in London, Oxford, and Cambridge.
<h4>Q. That’s great to hear! What sort of things have they had you working on?</h4>
My task is to ask students about their clothing and backpack preferences to improve the current EF merchandise including the students’ preferences and ideas.
<h4>Q. Nice! Given your artistic background, that sounds like a cool experience. What do you hope to gain from it?</h4>
I hope to get work experience in a company with a good work environment. I also want to learn from the employees and their experiences – how they came to work for EF, what they studied. I feel that sharing time with people who are currently working and have solved the doubts that I have at the moment will help me clarify the direction I want to take in my future. Like my studies, the career I want to pursue, and also where I see myself in the future.
<h4>Q. You sound like you’re really making the most of it. What’s been your favorite project so far?</h4>
Visiting the language schools to ask the students about their thoughts on the EF merchandise has been the best experience so far. I got to travel to Oxford and Cambridge to visit the languages schools, and meanwhile, I’ve met lots of international students. Additionally, just staying at the office to work with the designing department has been such an adventure.
<h4>Q. What do you feel you’re learning?</h4>
I have learned that the decisions of the employees can affect the development of a company at a certain rate. And that working at an office does not necessarily need to be boring or routinary. It is also really important to take into account everyone’s opinions because everyone has a different approach when it comes to solving problems.
<h4>Q. How does the internship connect to what you are studying in Torbay at EF Academy?</h4>
My internship has been an exceptional opportunity because the task I’m helping with at the moment is not commonly offered to all the students. I’m currently studying the Arts at EF Academy and that has also developed my interest in architecture and design-related careers.
The internship opportunity is great for me as it has involved talking with other people and discussing their opinions, helping to give critical opinions and to produce new ideas about a way to resolve certain necessity.
<h4>Q. How can you see yourself applying this experience to your future career?</h4>
What I have learnt so far that working in teams is critical for multiple tasks that we face daily. That to take into account others’ opinions and needs is important in order for your personal projects to have success. And also, designing skills have been taught to me that I can definitely use in the development of my career.
 
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9JXGq54DrMY" width="560"></iframe></center>
<h4>Q. What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to EF Academy and having a similar experience?</h4>
I would tell them the whole journey could be quite scary in the beginning, but really exciting at the same time. I would encourage everyone who has the opportunity to study abroad to come, but especially with EF.
At EF Academy, the teachers and people who take care of our personal well-being are always willing to help us to improve as people and to accomplish our goals before, during, and after studying with them.
Summer Stories is a series of interviews with EF Academy students taking part in internships throughout the summer. This is part one of the series.

With an interest in art and technology, Claudia Uribe spoke to us and explained why her internship provided her with such a valuable opportunity.

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