World Services organizes student exchange

May 2008

College students from La Crosse’s sister city of Dubna, Russia, and nearby Kimry, are learning what summers are like for their American counterparts by spending theirs working and living in La Crosse.

The 17 students arrived May 27, greeted by World Services of La Crosse staff and volunteers. They were quickly settled into apartments and began jobs at several area businesses which had already agreed to hire the students.

Sandra McCormick, president and CEO of World Services, explained that this is the first year for the exchange program, which is known by the acronym WISE, for Wisconsin International Student Experience. World Services developed the program and worked with several of agencies to help it become a reality, including the YMCA International Work and Travel program. The program is recognized by the US State Department which issues the visas and verifies that the students can obtain Social Security numbers to work in the US.

The students were selected by a World Services volunteer, Pete Keeffe, and a team from Dubna headed by its deputy mayor. According to McCormick, the students want to learn how the Unites States became a productive society by participating in the workforce and observing the free enterprise system.

The students, 11 women and six men, are working at Courtyard by Marriott, Logistics Health, Ashley Furniture (Arcadia), Coulee Bank, the La Crosse People's Food Coop, Culvers and Best Western.

McCormick hopes that the exchange can be done every year.