Bowling Green holds 4th annual Academy for New Americans

BOWLING GREEN Ky.- At the Neighborhood and Community Services Department in Bowling Green, people from all of backgrounds came together Thursday for the annual Academy for New Americans. Participants are learning about leadership, and city government. 30 applicants were selected for the program, representing 16 different countries, and speaking 15 different languages.

International communities’ liaison, Leyda Becker, says the academy is a great way to celebrate the diverse community of bowling green.

“I think it’s amazing to see so many people find bowling green an amazing place to live. You hear that resoundingly time after time as the folks are introducing themselves. To know that there’s so much language diversity, so many countries represented, but they’re all here to learn and better themselves. They’re appreciative of the opportunity that the city has given them to have this opportunity to learn about how government works, how our community works and to feel more integrated,” said Becker.

One of the participants in the academy is Addilene Hernandez, who is originally from Mexico. Hernandez says she’s had a great experience in the academy so far.

“I just wanted to really understand our community better and all the aspects of it,” said Hernandez.

The academy consists of day long sessions held once a month, on the fourth Thursday of every month, ending with a graduation after the last session of the academy in June.