Western Reserve Academy welcomed two respected Costa Rican educators to Hudson during the week of October 17, continuing an international relationship that began four years ago.

Dr. Helia Betancourt, president of the Universidad Federada de Costa Rica, and her husband, award-winning author and journalist Froilán Escobar, first became acquainted with the Academy in 2001, when a group of Reserve students spent a month studying at the university in San Jose where the two educators work. Dr. Betancourt, a former colleague of WRA Foreign Language Chair Irma Thomas, helped to coordinate the study program by arranging the students' classes, selecting host families and scheduling cultural and social activities during their stay in Costa Rica. Since then, two other Reserve student groups  a total of 26 students  have studied in Costa Rica, all under the auspices of WRA's Ellen Long Intercultural Study Abroad (ELISA) program.

"The program has been invaluable for our students, and the curriculum at the university is outstanding," said Irma Thomas, who invited the couple, in turn, to visit the WRA campus. "Dr. Betancourt and Prof. Escobar are excellent professors. The fact that they are here means a lot to the Reserve community." The pair spent their week at the Academy teaching classes, meeting with students and faculty, conducting book talks and book signings, and touring the area. Their stay in the U.S. also included a trip to Washington, D.C.

"We've been really happy with the Western Reserve Academy students who have studied in Costa Rica," said Betancourt. "They are disciplined, hard workers. So we wanted to see the school, and be a part of their classes and activities here."

The ELISA program, established in 2000 by WRA alumnus Dr. Dixon Long in memory of his wife, Ellen, has offered second-year language students at Reserve the opportunity for short-term study in Costa Rica, France, Germany and Italy. The fully funded program covers all expenses for each student's month-long homestay and program of study.

Betancourt and Escobar believe the program has had a significant impact, on both Reserve students and their Costa Rican counterparts. "It's really interesting to have Reserve students study with us," said Betancourt, who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and who is also a writer. "When they first get to Costa Rica, they have to adjust to a new country, a new family, and a new culture. But by the end of the visit, they have become part of their host family, and part of the culture."

Escobar, through a translator, said he was impressed with the quality of the Reserve students he has taught. "It's an excellent opportunity to get to know both their academic side and their human side. The students are very interested in improving their language skills, and very interested in learning," said the Cuban-born writer, who is also dean of the university's journalism school and winner of two National Critics Awards in Cuba for his work, which has been translated into several languages.

After their visit to Reserve, Betancourt and Escobar say they are eager to welcome a new group of Reserve students to Costa Rica. According to Thomas, plans are now in the works for Reserve students to study in San Jose in June 2005. "The program has been invaluable, and we are eager for it to continue," she said. "It has exposed our students to other languages, other thoughts, other cultures. When they return, they share their experiences, and they stay in touch with their host families. And that's what the program is all about  building bridges."

Photo: WRA's ELISA program scholars are pictured in the Foreign Language wing of Seymour Hall with guests Dr. Helia Betancourt, president of the Universidad Federada de Costa Rica, and her husband, award-winning author and journalist Froilán Escobar.