News From Our Community: College Apps Workshop

All Connexpedition members past and present are invited to exclusive events and workshops throughout the year. The COVID-19 pandemic has put many of our planned events on hold, but we started the new year with a useful and informative workshop about the college application process.

The topics we covered on Sunday:

• When should I start/general application timeline

• Applying to public vs. private vs. community (Creating your college list)

• UC Application Brief Overview (e.g. writing UC essays)

• CommonApp Brief Overview (e.g. writing personal statements, short answer)

• Extracurriculars/Service Hours (e.g. do they actually matter?, how to split connex hours, etc)

• Letters of rec (e.g. how to ask, who to ask, etc)

• Dual enrollment (courses, credits, and other tips)

• AP/SAT/SAT II/ACT Scores (e.g. when to send, is it an optional requirement?, etc)

Thank you to our panelists for sharing their experiences with us! Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the panel members if you have any further questions. Also, keep an eye out for part two of this workshop series coming soon in February.

Connexpedition 2021: Apply Today!

We are excited to announce that applications for this summer’s service trip are open today.

Since 2011, more than a total of 450 high school students have volunteered in Taiwan with Connexpedition, teaching English and sharing their American culture while exploring the traditions, lifestyle, and values of the island nation. We hope you will decide to join us this year as we embark on the tenth year of our program!

Program information and full application procedures can be found on our website at www.connexpedition.com/apply. Please read through our program application packet carefully to understand various qualifications, application procedures, and possible responses to COVID-19 this summer.

Please feel free to share this message with any friends or family members who you think may be interested. We are currently accepting applications from high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Seattle Area. The deadline to apply is February 20, 2021. We look forward to reviewing your application!

Please do not hesitate to email us at connexpedition@wceo.org if you have any questions.

Making the Most of our Circumstances - Beginning Online Lessons

We are extremely proud to be working with 50 members of Connexpedition 2020 to continue the spirit of the program despite the circumstances that prevented them from serving in Taiwan this summer.

This week, we started our first online lessons with the students of New Taipei City! These students were originally planning to attend our English summer camp. The online phase of the program normally follows the camp, but because of the challenges presented by COVID-19, we will mentor these students online first and hopefully get to see them in-person next summer instead.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Summer 2020 Trip Postponed to 2021

Dear Connexpedition 2020 Members,

Today we write to you knowing that this is not the news you were hoping to hear. We understand that you were all looking forward to the opportunity to travel to Taiwan and serve the students of New Taipei City alongside new friends this summer. While disappointing, we hope you can understand our decision to postpone this summer's trip.

The shelter-in-place order in our local counties and the state of California has had a detrimental impact to our training progress.

Moreover, our decision will put first the health and safety of the hundreds, if not thousands, of people our program impacts: you and your family, the students of New Taipei City and their families, our staff, and the faculty and administrative staff of the New Taipei City school district.

A number of restrictions informed our decision to postpone the trip:

• Taiwan CDC imposed restrictions on indoor gatherings > 100 persons. The date of lifting these restrictions currently remains to be decided.

• Taiwan has barred all foreign visitors (non-Taiwanese passport holders) from entering the country effective March 19. The date of lifting the entry restriction currently remains to be decided.

• Any traveler arriving from outside Taiwan and granted entry are subject to a 14-day home quarantine.

• While strict shelter-at-home orders from the Office of the Governor in California will last until the end of May, we do not expect to be allowed to host large gatherings in June based on the governor's new four-stage plan to ease social-distancing requirements. We will be unable to host the necessary in-person training sessions in May and June to prepare for our trip.

Additional interpretations of the ongoing situation were also taken into consideration:

• The wearing of masks in Taiwan is not only viewed as a courtesy, but a responsibility to others during this time. Wearing masks in warmer environments for extended periods of time may put our volunteers and students at risk of heat-related illnesses.

• Most travel medical insurance plans have an exclusion for coverage related to epidemics or pandemics if a travel warning for the destination country has been issued for a certain number of days prior to the travel period.

• Anyone at our service location (not limited to volunteers and students) developing symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of actually contracting the disease, will suspend our service in Taiwan indefinitely and cause severe disruptions to any travel plans. This will result in the possibility of needing to cancel flights, additional costs for room and board, and extraneous medical expenses.

• The decision to postpone our service trip now will allow us to begin organizing our contingency plan. This will give you, our members, more time and information to make an informed decision regarding your participation in the revised Connexpedition 2020 program.

We are extremely fortunate to have you as a part of our family and are extremely proud of what we have already accomplished together during these unprecedented times. As mentioned previously, your commitment and efforts will not go to waste, and we invite you to participate in our revised Connexpedition 2020 program. The specific details of the new program will be announced to you soon via email.

In the meantime, we will continue to remain in communication with you and your families and provide opportunities for distance learning and bonding with your teammates. As always, we are available via email should you have any questions or concerns.

We wish you and your family good health in the coming weeks and months.

Sincerely,

Tswei-Ping Wu
Vice Director, WCEO

David Huang
Program Coordinator-TW

Brian Chen
Program Coordinator-US

Sophie Lam
Program Manager

Coronavirus Update | April 1, 2020

At this time, we are still unsure if we will be able to go back to Taiwan this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, until we have a definitive verdict regarding travel restrictions in July, we will continue our program as planned while adapting to local, state, and federal public health guidelines.

Members: Our next training has been postponed until April 26th. Please view our latest email for more information.

We will host a Q&A session for members on April 4th before the Parent's Information Session. Details have been emailed to you.

Parents: Please join us for an informational session on the evening of April 4th. Details have been sent to your inbox.

We understand that you may be shifting your priorities due to the current situation and uncertainty surrounding this summer’s trip. If you do not plan to continue with Connexpedition, please let us know as soon as you can. You may also choose to attend the Q&A sessions first to make a more informed decision. As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we adjust to these unexpected circumstances. We hope you are continuing to stay safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to email us if you have any questions.

Online Training During Social Distancing

We've had to transform our program's traditional training sessions into an online format during these unprecedented times. Thanks to all our members for your time and adaptability! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.