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Mrs Strobel visited mini传媒 for the first time during the summer of 2017 and she immediately fell in love with the school. 

鈥淭he visit created a lasting impression on me,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淎lthough I had already heard plenty of good things about the school, nothing could prepare me for the wonderful experience of this place. I knew I had to come back,鈥� she adds. 

Two years later, Mrs Strobel returned to St Jude鈥檚 with a team of students and staff from Culver Academies, a boarding school in the United States, in what would mark the beginning of a promising and fruitful partnership between the two schools. 

This year Mrs Strobel made her third visit to St Jude鈥檚 and she did not come alone.

鈥淚 was thrilled to once again bring students and colleagues from my school, Culver Academies,鈥� she says excitedly. 鈥淚t was a large group of 19 students, for all of whom it was their first time at St Jude鈥檚, and four adults including my husband,鈥� she adds. 

In the months and weeks leading up to the visit, Mrs Strobel corresponded with the Visitors team at St Jude鈥檚 to arrange a suitable itinerary for the group. 

鈥淎s the team leader of a large group of students, it can be quite challenging to plan and organise a successful trip,鈥� shares Mrs Strobel. 鈥淟uckily, the Visitors team was more than equipped to handle all our requests and were even flexible to make additional adjustments to enhance our experience,鈥� she adds. 

The team from Culver Academies spent two weeks at St Jude鈥檚, participating in the day-to-day activities with St Jude鈥檚 students including sports, extracurricular activities, cooking lessons, and others. 

鈥淚t was a truly immersive experience,鈥� says Alexandria, one of the students from Culver Academies. 鈥淲e would start our day with students as they arrive at school in the buses, and be with them when they board the buses back home. It was inspiring to see how everyone takes pride in their tasks 鈥� from studying hard in class to their school chores,鈥� she explains. 

Another exciting experience at St Jude鈥檚 was a friendly sports competition between Culver Academies and St Jude鈥檚 students. 

鈥淭he Visitors team helped organise a football and a volleyball match between us and St Jude鈥檚 after school hours,鈥� says Faith, one of the students from Culver Academies. 鈥淚t was interesting to experience a bit of competition and sportsmanship between our two schools because we are very much alike,鈥� she adds.

The group was part of Culver鈥檚 Leadership Committee for Africa (LCA), a student-run organisation which works with other organisations in Africa to financially support programs that promote health, welfare, education, and advancement of women and children, and provide opportunities for students to learn and excel. 

鈥淲e currently support three organisations in Africa through LCA, and St Jude鈥檚 is one of them,鈥� says Faith, one of the student leaders of LCA. 鈥淏eing a student-led program, we organise our own fundraising programs and activities to financially support our partner organisations,鈥� she adds. 

Faith and her team fund LCA鈥檚 mission through community fundraisers where they would routinely sell treats such as popcorn and candy for charity at social and sports events. Another popular fundraising strategy is by leveraging the competitive nature of the school environment. 

鈥淟ike St Jude鈥檚, Culver Academies is also a boarding school and students are grouped into smaller communities called Dorms and Barracks, which is similar to the House system here at St Jude鈥檚,鈥� explains Alexandria who is also one of the student leaders of LCA. 鈥淣aturally, there is plenty of competition between different Dorms. So, there is a system in which a Dorm can earn an extra point when one of its members donates a penny to a good cause. This brings in a lot of healthy competition,鈥� she adds. 

Every year, the Visitors team organises exciting activities to give visitors a unique and memorable experience at St Jude鈥檚 and Tanzania. As a team that is passionate about providing an immersive St Jude鈥檚 experience to our visitors, they are living up the phrase 鈥榃e Love Visitors鈥�.