Decades ago, summer visitors to Estes Park were greeted by college students from across the country, many of whom proudly wore name tags announcing that they attended universities in Florida, Kansas, California, Texas, and other U.S. locales.
Today’s migration of working college students comes from across the globe, and they don’t come just in the summer.
The exchange visitors who come to Estes Park, often referred to as “J-1s” because of the visas they hold, are part of BridgeUSA, the U.S. Department of State’s educational and cultural exchange program that serves about 300,000 participants annually from 200 countries and territories.
The Exchange Visitor Program began under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 and was rebranded as BridgeUSA in 2020. Over the past 65 years, more than 4.4 million students have participated in the program nationwide.
BridgeUSA offers many travel and work programs for international students, including au pair, camp counselor, intern, teacher, and trainee. The largest program, the summer work travel program, brought 575 students to Estes Park in 2025.
While the Exchange Visitor Program is designed to promote educational and cultural exchange, all participating students are required to hold seasonal, entry-level jobs. They work in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and other businesses that rely on seasonal employees to meet the demands of the summer tourism season.
One of the largest employers of exchange visitors in Estes Park, the YMCA of the Rockies, has hosted participants since 1993 with a mission to welcome people from all over the world. This summer, they have over 200 program participants living and working at the YMCA.
“Once you have been part of the program, you will never be the same,” Amanda Moulden said. “Your perspective of life completely changes, and I feel very fortunate that now I am a huge part of that experience for other individuals.”
Moulden, director of talent acquisition and international programs at the YMCA of the Rockies, speaks from personal experience. She came to the United States in 2005 through the summer work travel program from her home country of Ecuador and immediately fell in love with the program. Now, as a director at the YMCA, she helps fellow participants navigate the difficult but “life changing” experience of coming to the United States as an exchange student.
In addition to providing work experience, Moulden says the YMCA is very intentional about promoting cultural exchange and ensuring all participants feel welcome and enjoy their time in Estes. They host trips to museums, concerts, and the Downtown Aquarium, as well as international dinners and fairs where the students can talk about their own countries with other participants and community members.
“We also host exchange days, so it gives them the opportunity not only to learn the way of business and the way of life in the United States, but also to be a proud ambassador from their country,” Moulden said.
Working with LifeTRAVELED, a BridgeUSA sponsor, and several local individuals and groups, including Mayor Gary Hall and the Estes Chamber of Commerce, the CSG was formed last year to help support the exchange visitors living and working in Estes Park.
The group helps program participants navigate their time in the U.S. by bringing together employers, visa sponsors, and community leaders to help coordinate housing, transportation, cultural events, and safety and emergency response planning.
“This is the first time we’ve actually had a program dedicated to helping exchange visitors when they’re here with visa sponsors and host employers,” said Kiley Jo Schroeder, the director of business development at the Estes Chamber of Commerce.
Colleen DePasquale, president of the Estes Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged that not all business owners give their exchange visitor employees the time to “get into the park” and experience other cultural opportunities while they are in the U.S.
“That’s why we have stopped calling them ‘J-1’s,’ said DePasquale. “Because they’re not workforce, they are here on an exchange visit, and we want them to embrace that, which is why we built CSG.”
Both the CSG and another organization brought to Estes Park this spring, Global Friends, have a strong dedication to the cultural exchange component of BridgeUSA and work to bring exchange visitors and community members together to share life experiences.
Global Friends was founded in Omaha, Nebraska by Julie Arant, and expanded to Estes Park through Arant’s friendship with Jamie Palmesano of Brownfield’s and a partnership with the Christian Church of Estes Park.
Global Friends gathers weekly to promote cross-cultural friendships and, if participants desire, strengthen connections with the church. The group also provides students with transportation around town, American dinners, and opportunities for group hikes and other activities.
Balancing the practical demands of employment and housing with the program’s mission of cultural exchange is no small task for local employers, organizers, and community leaders. Yet despite the behind-the-scenes work required of those involved, they share a common sentiment: the moment the students arrive makes the effort entirely worth it.
“There’s a lot of work, but when you have your exchange visitors actually arrive to your location, everything is paid off, because you can see how happy they are getting to know a different language, getting to experience a life in the United States firsthand,” said Moulden.