LTEC student to participate in People to People Program

DALTON - A Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center student will soon have an opportunity about which those several times her age dream. Breanna Wood, 10, Dalton, will visit Australia next summer as a student ambassador for the People to People Ambassador Program.

“It’s a once- in- a -lifetime experience,” said the fourth grade student, who first received word in August that she was nominated for the program. After attended an information session at Marywood University about the program, she made the decision that she wanted to be part of an elite group of 40 students from across the United States who will travel to Sydney next summer.

Founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, People to People was formed with the common mission of bridging cultural and political borders. Breanna’s decision to participate in People to People came as little surprise to her parents, said her mother, Kathleen Wood.

“She’s just always had awareness for global issues,” said Kathleen Wood. “For example, she’s pushed our household to become as green as possible.” In fact, Wood said, the family, which also includes Breanna’s father Robert Wood and her sister Kayla, 4, now recycles a large number of their garbage as a result of Breanna’s efforts.

Breanna is also very active with Parker Hill Community Church and her local Girl Scout Troop, takes tap and ballet lessons and has donated to the Locks of Love program. “She’s just always been a kind, compassionate person,” Kathleen Wood said.

Breanna said she looks forward to making new friends and seeing the different types of animals of Australia. She will live with a host family during her two-week trip and, because it will be winter in Australia, she will have the opportunity to visit an Australian school while class is in session. She will also have the chance to visit important landmarks, such as the Sydney Opera House, and swim along the Great Barrier Reef. “My friends think it’s pretty cool that I’m going,” she said. “Some of them joke that they want to hide in my suitcase so they can come with me.”

To prepare for the journey, Breanna is in the process of reading travel guides about the region and learning various aspects that make Australia different from the United States. She will also meet with the other children participating in the program—10 of whom are from Northeastern Pennsylvania—so that she will form bonds prior to the trip. The Woods are also in the process of raising the $6,500 tuition fee through several fund raising events, including a Gertrude Hawk candy sale, as well as donations. Kathleen Wood said that it is well worth the effort.

“This is going to give her a chance to learn firsthand about different cultures,” said Kathleen Wood. “It’s a lesson she couldn’t learn from a textbook.”

Although Breanna expects to see many cultural differences, she said she knows that one major aspect will remain the same. “A person is a person,” she said. “And you have to respect what makes someone unique just as much as you might respect what you have in common with them.”

Donations for Breanna Wood’s People to People Student Ambassadorship can be made to PNC Bank, c/o Breanna Wood, 207 N. State St. Clarks Summit.