Norton is a People-to-People Ambassador

PRINCETON — A Princeton teen has been accepted into the People-to-People program and plans to spend three weeks next summer traveling throughout Great Britain and Switzerland.

Chase Norton, 13, is a seventh-grader at Logan Junior High School in Princeton. Following an informational meeting in September at Bradley University, Chase went through a formal interview process in Tremont. The selection process began with 100 students, with only the top 20 young people chosen for the junior high-age trip.

Chase credited his three recommendations from local community people for helping to get him selected for the program.

The People to People Ambassador Program was launched in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The purpose of the program is to promote educational travel opportunities to young people in an effort to learn about and overcome cultural and political differences. The program has more than 400,000 alumni, traveling to seven different continents. More information about the program is available through the People to People Web site.

Between now and next summer, Chase will have a couple more mandatory meetings at which he will learn more about what to expect during his travels and also have the opportunity to get to know the other young people going on the trip.

Chase’s mother, Mary Ann Keller, said the People to People program is definitely an educational experience for her son. He will learn about the culture and customs of the various countries. There will be assignments to be completed.

After the first of the year, Keller said she and her son will need to start some fundraising to raise money for the $7,100 tuition and program cost. An account in Chase’s name has been set up at Citizens First National Bank in Princeton for any donations.

As a mom, Keller said she wants to give her son opportunities she didn’t have at that age. She wants him to come back knowing there’s more to life and more to this world than what he has experienced so far.

For Chase, he’s looking forward to traveling outside the United States and experiencing firsthand life in other countries.

“I want to experience things outside this country,” Chase said. “I want to see stuff I’ve never seen before, like castles. I’ve seen these things in books, but this way I’ll experience these things in person.”