Meet our 2018 Ambassadors: Eugenie on Spain Language & Leadership
Eugénie Foss is a rising sophomore at Loyola High School in New York City. Born and raised in Manhattan, Eugénie has been studying Spanish since the 6th grade. She is excited for the opportunity to travel through Spain as a Global Works Ambassador and live with a family so she can improve her language skills and apply what she has learned about Spanish culture to real life experiences. Eugénie understands how important it is to be “a global citizen” and that the ability to speak and read a second language enables us to connect with people of varying cultures, and is essential in today’s world.
Eugénie loves to read, cook, dance and sing, but her real passion is acting and musical theatre. She has had major roles in the musicals Bye Bye Birdie, Zombie Prom and Meet Me In St. Louis as well as the drama, Dial M for Murder. Eugénie has a special on-stage presence and her knack for comedy is especially evident. She loves to make people laugh and sees laughter as a universal language to bring joy to others.
Eugénie recognizes a similarity between acting and traveling and immersion in another culture. As an actor, Eugénie takes on a role and is able to look at the world from different perspectives, putting herself in other’s people shoes. It builds her empathy for the different people she encounters each day. Eugénie believes it is essential to seize any opportunity to travel as travelling provides insight into other cultures and people and allows her to share features of her own culture with others. It’s this “dialogue” between cultures that excites her about the opportunity with Global Works.
Eugénie is highly engaged in her school community. She participates in Loyola’s Maroon and Gold Club, volunteering at school events, giving tours and helping prospective and new students feel welcome. Outside of school, when she is not rehearsing for a play, Eugénie takes voice lessons and works part time as a babysitter and homework helper for young children. She participates once a month in Brown Baggers, delivering sandwiches to the homeless in New York City parks. On weekends, she volunteers for the Association to Benefit Children (a-b-c.org), a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of New York City’s most vulnerable and underserved children and their families.
One of Eugénie’s best qualities is that she is “game for anything.” She loves to try new things, and if they are challenging, she just tells herself, “ten seconds of courage is all it takes” and she dives in. She comes from a family of adventurer-seekers who love to travel, and she and her mother and older sister, Olivia, a Global Works Nicaragua Pre-Med graduate, have travelled internationally to Costa Rica, France and Italy. Eugénie spent four summers at camp in Vermont canoeing and camping in the wilderness, starting and ending each day by campfire.
As a Global Works Ambassador, Eugénie cannot wait to photograph and write about her trip through Spain. She looks forward, upon return, to sharing her Global Works adventure with her family, schoolmates and teachers at Loyola School as well as with her extended family and community of friends. She hopes to bring to life the culture, beauty and wonders of Spain for those who have not yet had the good fortune to visit, but hope to do so one day.