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Elise Steenburgh

Elise is passionate about environmental protection, jazz, and drama. Having written and directed a jazz musical one act for school, one of Elise's goals for the coming year is to immerse herself in Brazilian music and culture to write another show—bossa nova style. She also wants to experience the diversity of life in Brazil, from humans to plants and animals of all types. Her favorite quote is "It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility" by Rachel Carson.

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Love and Peace, Elise – Capstone

Elise Steenburgh

2018-06-07

I started my Personal Blog specifically to document my adventure in Brazil. However, throughout the year, I had not published many blogs. Instead, I wrote drafts and let them pile up, unfinished. Some part of me always felt that my experience was not worth sharing, that the 8 months of my life so important to...

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*De onde você é?

Elise Steenburgh

2018-05-21

  “… I’ve never really identified myself as an American or felt apart of a culture here, maybe because I’m of mixed race or maybe because American culture shifts with every trend. I’m really excited and hopeful to discover myself and my identity in Brazil, where everyone shares a culture and history…” – August 2017 *”Where are...

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Tomorrow

Elise Steenburgh

2018-03-05

Olá, elise!Você se juntou à IRIS+ contra Degradação ambiental. Quais são os amanhãs possíveis? O tema que mais te preocupa diz respeito ao planeta e aos desafios sobre como viver de forma harmônica com seus recursos. A Terra passa por intensas transformações do clima e da biodiversidade, e será preciso adaptar os hábitos a este cenário. A partir disso...

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Meu primeiro discurso em Português

Elise Steenburgh

2017-12-31

I have a t h i c k American accent. I hate it. My voice is too high. I put too much inflection in my words. It breaks my heart, but I won’t be returning to the US with a Brazilian accent. But at least I’ll speak Portuguese. Learning Portuguese is easily my favorite part of my GCY...

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3 Moons

Elise Steenburgh

2017-12-04

When we arrived to Brazil on September 3rd, the bright full moon lit up the night sky as we sat outside under a tree at Morro Das Pedras hotel in Florianópolis, for our first in country get-to-know-you. Today, December 3rd, a supermoon – the biggest, brightest, and last full moon of the year – marks 3 months...

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Before I forget my English…

Elise Steenburgh

2017-10-01

There's no word for it. The feeling is… awkward. But it's mind-blowing. It's uncomfortable, but exciting. It's all these words that I need to look up (thesaurus.com!)… because I've forgotten them. It's exhilarating, inspiring, invigorating, uplifting, and also, unfortunately, exhausting. My heart races when I feel words form in Portuguese on my tongue. It stops...

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GCY and why I’m applying to colleges a second time

Elise Steenburgh

2017-08-03

Hello! This is for all the high school juniors and seniors who are in the process of applying to colleges, as well as the parents who are wondering where to send their soon-to-be graduates. I never had plans to take a gap year. Ever since the age of five, I planned on attending the most prestigious...

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