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

Ninth stop of CIEE's nationwide roadshow recognized exceptional host employers and other supporters of international exchange in Utah

PARK CITY, Utah, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was in premier ski destination Park City this week for the ninth 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.

In Utah, CIEE honored supporters 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 provides a significant economic and cultural benefit to hundreds of communities across America. In Park City alone, more than 1,200 BridgeUSA participants from the Southern Hemisphere, whose summer work placements take place during the U.S. winter, support ski resorts and other local businesses during the busy winter recreation season.

"Utah provides BridgeUSA participants an authentic lens into American culture," said Carye Duffin, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at CIEE. "We are visiting Park City to celebrate the local host employers, the supervisors, the mentors, the community leaders, and the advocates for international exchange who year after year show the world the very best of America."

BridgeUSA Makes America Safer and Stronger

BridgeUSA programs bolster America's national security and strengthen America's public diplomacy by fostering mutual respect between Americans and people of other nations. BridgeUSA participants return home and spread word of their positive experience in the United States, which improves the American image abroad and makes our country safer.

BridgeUSA Makes America More Prosperous

BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel participants enable local economies to prosper by expanding and extending the tourism season, allowing businesses to employ more Americans for a longer seasonal period and allowing hundreds of local businesses—from ski resorts to restaurants, from retail shops to hospitality providers—to extend the duration of their peak-season sales surge, compounding the positive economic impact in each community.

"The core premise of the BridgeUSA program is that international students come to America at their own expense on temporary visas to help American businesses and American communities thrive," said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE. "BridgeUSA students pay their way to come to America, they help make American businesses more prosperous while they are here, and then they return to their home countries with a deeper knowledge and respect for American culture and American values, including the power of democracy and free speech. If BridgeUSA did not exist, someone would need to invent it, as it truly enriches all Americans."

About the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour

In June 2025, the CIEE BridgeUSA Celebration Tour began in Ohio and Kentucky with stops at the iconic Cedar Point Amusement Park, the famous Kings Island Amusement Park, and family-favorite Kentucky Kingdom. In July, CIEE senior leaders visited stunning Yellowstone National Park and majestic Big Sky, Montana. Then they celebrated BridgeUSA in beloved Myrtle Beach in August and historic San Antonio in September. This week's visit to premier ski destination Park City kicked off the 2026 leg of the tour that will continue to idyllic Mackinac Island, Michigan, in June, then fun-filled Wisconsin Dells in August, and vibrant Ocean City, Maryland, in September.

If you are interested in participating in a future 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 75 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)