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Thirteen-year-old Mason Lux didn’t know he was nominated for an ambassadors program that could take him to any of 40 different countries to learn leadership skills.
But, when he found out he’d been accepted, he was excited to say the least.
“I didn’t know anything about it, but I was pretty excited,” Mason said. “I did Greece last year for my place (for a school project) and my grandma’s cousin lives over there and his son is a famous painter.”
After he was nominated, he had to get three letters of recommendation, was interviewed with a leader from the program and was accepted.
The People to People Ambassador Programs offers educational travel opportunities for students and adults.
Mason was chosen for the European Odyssey program, which will take him to France, Greece and Italy.
Mason’s parents, Denise and John, said they aren’t worried about Mason traveling to another country.
“It’s an opportunity for him. It’s a little nerve-wracking for us, but he’s not going by himself. He’s going with leaders who have been on the trips before. They have organized it and run into problems and fixed them,” Denise said. “So, that’s how we’re looking at it, as an opportunity for Mason.”
Mason will be overseas for 20 days learning leadership and team-building skills, doing service projects and site-seeing.
He said he’s most excited to rappel down a castle wall in Florence, Italy, as well as seeing the Colosseum in Rome.
“I’m excited for meeting other people over there and their culture and learning some of the different foods they have because I like to cook a lot,” Mason said.
The trip will cost Mason $7,000, which includes plane tickets, meals and other expenses.
He has about $2,000 right now and has until May to raise the rest.
Mason is recycling electronic waste, such as old cellphones, lap tops and game systems, through a green school recycling website.
He has drop boxes at Eli’s, CP Directions Studio, Nail Professionals and Blessed Sacrament.
With the new electronics recycling law, which went into effect Sunday, electronic products are banned from landfills and need to be recycled.
Mason said he has sent two shipments of electronics so far and will keep the drop boxes around town until the end of February.
Mason collects the electronics and sends them to a company who then pays him based on the products.
Thirteen-year-old Mason Lux didn’t know he was nominated for an ambassadors program that could take him to any of 40 different countries to learn leadership skills.
But, when he found out he’d been accepted, he was excited to say the least.
“I didn’t know anything about it, but I was pretty excited,” Mason said. “I did Greece last year for my place (for a school project) and my grandma’s cousin lives over there and his son is a famous painter.”
After he was nominated, he had to get three letters of recommendation, was interviewed with a leader from the program and was accepted.
The People to People Ambassador Programs offers educational travel opportunities for students and adults.
Mason was chosen for the European Odyssey program, which will take him to France, Greece and Italy.
Mason’s parents, Denise and John, said they aren’t worried about Mason traveling to another country.
“It’s an opportunity for him. It’s a little nerve-wracking for us, but he’s not going by himself. He’s going with leaders who have been on the trips before. They have organized it and run into problems and fixed them,” Denise said. “So, that’s how we’re looking at it, as an opportunity for Mason.”
Mason will be overseas for 20 days learning leadership and team-building skills, doing service projects and site-seeing.
He said he’s most excited to rappel down a castle wall in Florence, Italy, as well as seeing the Colosseum in Rome.
“I’m excited for meeting other people over there and their culture and learning some of the different foods they have because I like to cook a lot,” Mason said.
The trip will cost Mason $7,000, which includes plane tickets, meals and other expenses.
He has about $2,000 right now and has until May to raise the rest.
Mason is recycling electronic waste, such as old cellphones, lap tops and game systems, through a green school recycling website.
He has drop boxes at Eli’s, CP Directions Studio, Nail Professionals and Blessed Sacrament.
With the new electronics recycling law, which went into effect Sunday, electronic products are banned from landfills and need to be recycled.
Mason said he has sent two shipments of electronics so far and will keep the drop boxes around town until the end of February.
Mason collects the electronics and sends them to a company who then pays him based on the products.
“We thought this was a win-win. People could clean out their drawers and help Mason go to Europe,” Denise said of the fundraiser. “We thought again at holiday time, people are going to be getting gifts to upgrade their handheld game devices, their game systems and cellphones as they’re upgrading.”
Since Mason has been accepted into the program, he has had extra homework assignments to prepare him for the adventure.
Assignments have to do with social studies and world studies, such as local government and he gets course credit for his work.
“They highlight in all of the literature that it’s more than just a tour group, it’s an ambassador program and they do leadership building,” Denise said. “They have home stays, where they stay with a family and they also have behind the scenes opportunities to meet with diplomats of different countries.
“So, it’s not just some eighth-grade graduation tour group.”
To see a list of acceptable electronics to recycle or to get more information on Mason’s fundraiser, visit www.recyclingfundraiser.com.
Mason can be contacted at molux98@gmail.com.
