CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour Visits Ocean City, Maryland, to Highlight How BridgeUSA Makes America Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous

News provided by

Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)

Sep 04, 2026, 06:22 ET

Twelfth stop of CIEE's nationwide tour celebrated exceptional host employers and other community leaders of BridgeUSA in Maryland

OCEAN CITY, Maryland, Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was in beautiful Ocean City this week for the twelfth stop on its nationwide BridgeUSA Celebration Tour that spotlights how international exchange programs powered by the U.S. Department of State are making America safer through diplomacy, stronger through global collaboration, and more prosperous through innovation and shared opportunity.

This week, CIEE celebrated BridgeUSA supporters and participants in Ocean City, Maryland. CIEE Senior Leaders were joined by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Private Sector Exchange Director, Karen Ward, and Program Analyst, Carrie Linch, along with Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.

In vibrant Ocean City, CIEE celebrated champions of the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel program, which brings international college students to live and work in America during their university summer break, helping seasonal employers expand and extend the tourism season by an average of 50 days, contributing billions of dollars to the American economy each year.

BridgeUSA Makes America Safer and Stronger

BridgeUSA is one of America's most powerful public diplomacy tools. By connecting future global leaders with American communities, it fosters mutual understanding, strengthens international relationships, and creates lifelong advocates for the United States around the world.

BridgeUSA Makes America More Prosperous

BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants enable thousands of local businesses to extend the duration of their peak-season sales surge, which, in turn, allows local businesses to employ more Americans for a longer seasonal period.

About the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour

In 2025, the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration tour visited: iconic Cedar Point Amusement Park, famous Kings Island Amusement Park, family-favorite Kentucky Kingdom, stunning Yellowstone National Park, majestic Big Sky, Montana, beloved Myrtle Beach, and historic San Antonio. The 2026 leg of the tour began at the premier ski destination Park City, continued to charming Mackinac Island and fun-filled Wisconsin Dells, and will end in vibrant Ocean City.

If you are interested in participating in a 2027 CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration event, please reach out to Carye Duffin, CIEE Senior Vice President of External Affairs, at [email protected].

About CIEE:

CIEE builds bridges between different people, different countries, and different cultures. For nearly 80 years, we have helped young people participate in high-quality international exchange and study abroad programs that bring the world together. Since 1947, CIEE has supported more than 1.5 million student exchanges for participants from more than 140 countries. We change lives, our alumni change the world. Learn more at ciee.org.

Media Contact: Leslie Taylor, [email protected], (207) 553-4274

SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)