We reach out to share our thoughts as we have been following the recent turmoil in the US and in the world at large. You, our CYA family, friends, and partners, have been particularly on the mind of everyone here, faculty and administration.

We are sure that all of us, who believe in the value of study abroad and see the world from a different perspective, recognize that the experience of studying abroad makes us more empathetic to our fellow human beings.

And this is one of those historic moments where we see the need for that empathy and its necessity in furthering the struggle that every country faces for a more just society.

We at CYA had already been in a conversation about how we could do better on diversity issues, but these past weeks have really intensified this conversation. Our students need to feel safe, recognized, and included, and we at CYA want to better understand how social inequalities in the United States shape our students’ experiences in Greece, and how they intersect with the kinds of inequalities we also have in our society here. We’ll be seeking the input of our alumni, friends, and scholars on this topic, in an ongoing project to educate ourselves towards being the best institution we can be for our students, and to make whatever changes we need to in order meet that goal.

 We may be far away geographically right now but you should know that we are thinking about you all and that we are with you in spirit.