The Embassy hosted the graduation ceremony for “Go! American English for Work,” at the International Institute in Spain (IIE) on June 25, 2022, with the participation of Justen Thomas, Public Diplomacy Officer of the Embassy, Shane Liliedahl, Director of the International Education Center at Orange Coast College (IEC-OCC), Jennifer Bird, Director of the American Cultural Studies Program of IIE, and Alejandro Toledo, program student.
The Go! program, sponsored by the Embassy, was an intensive, two-year micro-scholarship English language program for more than 100 vocational education students from various parts of Spain, including Castilla y Leon, Ciudad Real, Valencia, Málaga, Madrid, and Barcelona. In addition to English classes, students received sessions from EducationUSA on applying to community colleges, and cohorts were invited to attend live, virtual workshops to get to know key players in various Silicon Valley startups. Students who successfully completed the program studied for and took the TOEFL test, while keeping in mind the option of applying in the future to community colleges in the U.S. The program has been implemented online by IEC-OCC, IIE, and American Space Barcelona.