My Global Link trip to Colombia was life-changing. It inspired me to make a conscious effort to travel in college through study abroad programs, fellowships, internships, teaching positions, and research with professors." –UPrep alum
Our Global and Outdoor Education office manages place-based, community-oriented, experiential outdoor learning opportunities. From Global Link and Semester Away to Snow School, every program is designed to enrich the UPrep experience. Students step out of their comfort zone to have transformative experiences, foster meaningful relationships, and engage with new communities and environments with respect, responsibility, and integrity.
A Closer Look at Global Link: Taiwan
Meet the Team
Brian Gonzales Director of Innovation and Experiential Education
Kate Williams Global and Outdoor Education Program Manager
Global Link is our signature global education program that connects students and their families with partner and host communities across the United States and around the world.
Through short-term domestic and international travel programs and hosting experiences in Seattle, Global Link places students in cross-cultural contexts beyond their comfort zones. Global Link provides them with opportunities:
To learn about themselves in order to build meaningful relationships with others
To seek out new environments and perspectives to deepen their understanding of complex issues and histories
To embrace the unfamiliar in order to adapt, adjust, and demonstrate resilience
To process, reflect, listen, and collaborate within a team environment
To engage in shared responsibilities and collective solutions
All Global Link programs feature required pre-departure training activities, local field-based learning experiences, a domestic or international travel program centered on relational global learning via host or partner communities, and post-program debrief, reflections, and Bring-It-Back presentations and projects.
Domestic
Global Link provides select 7th and 8th grade students an opportunity to collaborate with their teammates in order to respectfully engage community partners in Seattle; Albuquerque, NM; and Montgomery, AL. Through local field trips and a week-long expedition to New Mexico or Alabama, these January intensive courses explore historical and contemporary social justice issues, such as the Civil Rights Movement, criminal justice reform, education, youth-led grassroots organizations, and environmental justice.
International
For Upper School students (10th–12th grade), Global Link is a co-curricular cultural immersion experience that connects students with host communities in Botswana, Colombia, Finland, France, Japan, Lithuania, and Taiwan. Select groups of students, led by UPrep trip leaders, travel to one of our international partners for a 10- to 12-day program focused on cross-cultural exchange and ambassadorial leadership. Travel typically takes place during spring break, and most groups live with host families for the duration of their program.
Students in all grades are invited to participate in Global Link exchange visits. During the fall and spring semesters, select students from our international partner schools travel to Seattle for a 10- to 12-day cultural exchange experience. Hosted by UPrep families and supported by Global Link student ambassadors, Global Link exchange visits are a powerful way to connect our community to our international partners, foster meaningful cross-cultural relationships, and reciprocate the hospitality UPrep receives during our travel programs.
Outdoor Education at UPrep challenges students to engage with the Pacific Northwest as courageous learners, curious adventurers, supportive teammates, and socially responsible citizens of the land we have the privilege to call home.
From grade-level retreats to courses such as Lifetime Activities and Environmental Science, every student at UPrep will spend time with their classmates learning and building community in the outdoors through our outdoor education curriculum. For those seeking to grow as leaders in the outdoors, UPrep offers Middle and Upper School students a variety of outdoor leadership experiences.
Intensives
Outdoor Leadership: Snow School (7th–8th grades)
In this course, students learn basic winter and snow safety lessons, complete an introductory course in avalanche awareness, participate in field-based activities in snow science, route-finding, and snow school tour planning, and participate in an overnight expedition with professional guides.
This course is focused on leadership, teamwork, and avalanche safety in Seattle and the North Cascades. Students complete day-long snowshoe tours, avalanche awareness workshops, companion rescue activities, and an overnight expedition with professional mountain guides where students have the opportunity to earn an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level 1 certification.
Outdoor Leadership: Wilderness First Aid (9th–12th grades)
This course is focused on student leadership, teamwork, and stewardship in Seattle and the North Cascades. The program emphasizes self-awareness, judgment, and decision-making, as well as an opportunity to earn certification in Wilderness First Aid (WFA).
Outdoor and Wilderness Education Programs for All Grades
Camp UPrep
Affinity group hikes and retreats
Overnight camping trips
Backcountry backpacking expeditions
Wilderness First Aid training
UPrep's outdoor education programs feature pre-departure training, student-centered learnings and reflections, and robust safety and risk-management protocols. Gear and materials are provided when necessary and all programs are designed to be inclusive, accessible, and equitable. After adventures are complete, students share their experiences with UPrep and the Seattle-area community through projects and presentations.
Semester Away is a program for students interested in pursuing educational opportunities beyond UPrep. Upper School sophomores and juniors can receive credit toward graduation through semester or yearlong accredited study abroad or internationally-focused programs. A Semester Away is an intensive experience that requires students to dig deep, think differently, collaborate with others, and apply their knowledge to the real world.
Recently, UPrep students have studied away and had transformational experiences at the following schools:
High Mountain Institute (Colorado)
School for Ethics & Global Leadership (Washington, D.C., London, Johannesburg)
Alzar School (Idaho, Chile)
The Island School (Bahamas)
The Mountain School (Vermont)
Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki
The Traveling School (Various)
The Outdoor Academy (North Carolina)
UPrep is committed to ensuring that our Global and Outdoor Education programs are accessible to as many students as possible. Financial aid and support is available to all students and families who qualify.
Global Link domestic and international fees as well as fees for Outdoor Leadership programs are inclusive and cover all of the student's travel and program expenses.
For our visiting international students, UPrep covers the costs of any school-related program they would like to try (sports, Ski Bus, Mock Trial, dances, etc.) and UPrep host families are eligible for hosting reimbursements that cover things such as additional food costs, cultural excursions with their families, and more.
Students interested in spending a Semester Away are eligible to apply for UPrep tuition remission. The Global and Outdoor Education Office works in close collaboration with the director of enrollment and the director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to regularly examine issues of inclusion and accessibility in all of our Global and Outdoor Education offerings.
