Student testimonials on the 2011 Euro Challenge competition

CORAL REEF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Grace DeWitt

Coral Reef Senior High School
Grade 10

Choosing to participate in Euro Challenge will definitely be one of the highlights of my high school education. When I decided to join the team during this past winter, I knew very little about what I was getting into. Truthfully, I just wanted the chance to visit New York City and spruce up my college application. Before I knew it, however, I was emotionally involved in the project: communicating on a daily basis with my group members and frequenting European newspapers online. I am an open-minded student, interested in learning new things, who guessed that being a part of Euro Challenge would be a good excuse for me to learn about economics and the European Union, two subjects of which I had no familiarity with. Boy, was I right! The Euro Challenge competition turned out to be the perfect method for learning about such topics, in addition to so much more. Moreover, the knowledge I've gained since "Day 1" will serve as a solid foundation of information on global affairs that I will proudly take into adulthood. The seriousness with which the program is taken is both motivating and inspiring, as is hearing from others how much the program has grown since its beginning. Brushing shoulders with important diplomats and business people in New York City (at the semi-final and final rounds) has brought me a new-found sense of self-efficacy and esteem, and I couldn't be thankful enough for the dedicated people who worked to make Euro Challenge 2011 a success, including all the teachers and students who participated alongside me. Anyone looking for a unique and memorable educational experience should not hesitate to compete in Euro Challenge; take it from someone who knows, you won't regret it.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

FPW MARINE & OCEANOGRAPHIC ACADEMY

Dennis Dawson

FPW Marine & Oceanographic Academy
Teacher, Social Studies Department

Euro-Challenge is a fantastic learning opportunity for my AP Human Geography students. During the research, my students applied concepts that the entire class had learned, along with some sophisticated elements of monetary and fiscal policy. At first I wasn’t sure how well my students would master the information due to their lack of any economic understanding or real-world international experiences. Euro-Challenge provides us with a mechanism that encourages and rewards student achievement. Countless afterschool, 3 hour pre sessions convinced me that our team had developed a real desire to understand the single monetary system as practiced in the Euro Zone.

Through this process, 5 disparate young students became a real united team of dedicated young scholars. I continued to be impressed as they demonstrated their eagerness to learn from the other groups during the final round. Euro-Challenge has provided my students with a life-changing experience. The trip to New York; the accolades and affirmations; the dignity of the New York Fed; and the graciousness of Ambassador João Vale de Almeida all combined to tell my students that their studies have a real value to the outside world. I see my students now thinking about the importance of Social Studies to their lives and the possibilities related to careers.

Thank you for this exciting educational opportunity. I especially thank Christine Caly-Sanchez for her tireless work and support that has made the Florida Regional competition possible.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Nyjil Austin

FPW Marine & Oceanographic Academy
Grade 9

My Euro Challenge team of 5 learned a lot during our trip to New York. We gained greater insight about the European Union as well as the Euro and why it was established. It was thrilling as my team and I researched Germany and worked to find a solution that would put an end to the Euro Zones recession as well as how to prevent it from happening again. We put in 3 and a half hours, two to three times a week. Although it was very tiring it was well worth it when we made it to New York. As we made our plans for the trip to New York we continued to prepare for our big day. When the time came to present our work we were all pretty nervous. Since this was our first time we did not know what to expect. This made the competition even more challenging. After presenting in front of the judges, we sat down in the auditorium and waited for the results. When we found out that we did not advance to the finals we were a little upset but congratulated the winners and ourselves for making it that far. This experience has prepared me for upcoming challenges as well as next years Euro Challenge. I hope to participate in Euro Challenge again next year and hopefully win. Euro Challenge has been an amazing experience and has encouraged me to learn more about the European Union.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Jean Castro

FPW Marine & Oceanographic Academy
Grade 9

The Euro Challenge was a long, time consuming, yet fun experience. Just joining the Euro Challenge has helped me learn more about the European Union along with Political and Economic Geography. We spent 2 months working for 3 and half hours afterschool on researching and preparing our presentation. But the environment within my group and my teacher was just so comfortable. I love explaining what exactly the Euro Challenge is, because people don’t know and they are excited to hear about it. When we went to Miami for the Regional Competition, we had hope based on all of our great work. After we found out we made it to New York, our working hours were doubled. But going all the way there was worth it. Making it to the national competition was an honor because we were competing against 25 other schools in the country.

he national competition made me very nervous. I wanted to win very badly. I believed we had what it took to make the top 5. But our falls make us get up with twice the force we had before. I do want to do the Euro Challenge next year in 10th grade, and I am planning to. The scariest part of going to New York was when they were about to announce the names of the winning schools. Just sitting in the auditorium of the New York Federal Reserve, representing my school, waiting to hear if we won was the most suspenseful moment of my life. Yet one of the best experiences I have had. After the competition was over, we were invited for a reception at the Moody's Foundation. We saw the award ceremony of the winners, and I met the ambassador of Portugal. I spoke to him in Portuguese because I do speak it.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

James D Goodman

FPW Marine & Oceanographic Academy
Grade 9

The Euro Challenge was a great experience and I learned a ton about the Eurozone. My team and I worked hard, spending almost every afternoon after school working on our power point, researching, writing our script and practicing. We helped each other with our individual needs and worked as a team. We got a chance to visit the Federal Reserve in Miami which was great. We read Economist magazines and scoured the internet looking for news stories and data that we could use. We put in days of time and effort It was well worth it in the end. The trip to New York City was amazing and I was glad that you took the time and effort to allow us to not only participate but show off our work in the Federal Reserve. We felt like we accomplished something even though we did not win. I look forward to participating next year.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Breana Hindman

FPW Marine & Oceanographic Academy
Grade 9

In a word: Unbelievable. Waking up in the morning, I wasn’t that excited. It felt like a dream. Like I really wasn’t going to New York. It took till the first night, walking around the city, that I realized, it’s real. I’m here. In the Big Apple. The city that everyone has heard of, even if they’ve never gone. It was a totally new experience. And I loved it. The city was so different than my little town in Florida, where the buildings are long and flat. In New York, everything was so TALL! I walked around with my head up the whole time. The knowledge I gained was unfathomable. I didn’t ever think that I would learn that much. And truly, it was so exciting. The competition itself was an experience to treasure. Though we didn’t make it far into the competition, watching the other teams helped me to realize, I had a lot to work on if I needed to improve. And, truth be told, I was okay with losing. I knew that there was much to be done if we wanted to win. And we, as a team, are excited about improving our skills, and passing them down to the next generation of MOA Euro-Challenge Participants.

And even now, I find it unbelievable that I actually went to New York and competed in a National Competition.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

MIAMI PALMETTO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Eric Dusseau

Miami Palmetto Senior High School
Grade 10

Euro challenge was one of the best experiences that I have had so far. Learning about economics and the euro in itself was a rewarding experience, not to mention the trip to New York itself. Moreover, my knowledge of the EU was minuscule compared to what I know now. I believe that the EU is not given the importance that it deserves in the minds of Americans. Euro Challenge really opens one's eyes to the significant role that the EU plays in interconnecting various European nations. Furthermore, I met several interesting and cool people in New York, both Eurochallengers and adults. The fact that we were allowed into the FED and the Moody's building was extremely exiting. I would recommend this competition to anyone and everyone, and I for one know that I will help out next year's team so that they can win.