A Farewell to GEA
By Lora Cook
Going into Thanksgiving and this holiday season, I am so grateful for the past eight years of co-directing GEA with Aino and experiencing the world with so many amazing people who I’ve connected with through cultural exchange and adventures. Most of our alumni know that I spent a year in Finland as a high school exchange student, and I have never been the same since. It opened my mind and heart in such an expansive way that I knew as a teenager that facilitating cultural exchange was my life passion. Over the past few decades I’ve been able to do that in a number of ways, and none more meaningful than through the GEA programs I have helped create and facilitate.
It is now time for new adventures in my life that include a little more play and personal exploration and a little less work. I have decided to sell my interests in GEA to Aino who is excited to be moving our vision and mission forward in new and exciting ways. I want to thank everyone that I’ve worked with over the past several years and express my appreciation and how much GEA has meant to me and how it will always be a huge part of my heart. Thank you Aino and all of the incredible teacher fellows and participants for all of the great memories!
-Lora Cook