The 2013 Cross Cultural Internship Program Cumulating Activity was held at CitiField, home of the New York Mets, this year. The event took place in two parts-the closing ceremony and of course a baseball game sponsored by the program organizer.

Almost 170 guests, including students, government representatives, partners and host representatives attended the event.

Gracing the event were esteemed personage such as Councilman Peter Koo; Ms. Joanne Choi, representing Office of Congresswoman Grace Meng; Mr. Morgan Jones, Director of Queens External Affairs; Ms. Yen Chou, representing Assemblyman David Weprin; Ms. Irene Cheung, representing Councilman Mark Weprin; Mr. David Ng, representing Office of Assembly Member Nily Rozic; Consul for Information and Cultural Affairs Rina F. Wahyuningsih from the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in New York; Ms. Cecilia Kwok, Director of City University of Hong Kong.

Manhattan Borough President, Scott M. Stringer declared August 26, 2013 as "Cross Cultural Internship Program Appreciation Day" in the Borough of Manhattan.

It was a rare networking opportunity for the students, and it was in an exemplary manner that each and every one of them carried themselves for the night.

Ms. Elizabeth Kay, the founder of CCIP and principal of FUSIA Communications, was presented with greatest honor the Met's Spirit Award in recognition of her contributions to cultural exchange between Asia and North America.

Marc Haken, Chair, Youth, Education and Library Committee of the Community Board 8 in Queens (CB 8Q) and honorary advisor of the program opened the ceremony with a few choice words thanking the participants, program organizer, hosts, as well as the various associates that had contributed immensely to the resounding success of CCIP.

This was followed by speeches from some of the government officials, who also presented letters recognizing the contributions of the program in shaping youths. Two of the hosts spoke on behalf of the other host organizations, sharing their experiences working with the CCIP program and the interns. To top it all off a representative from City University was able to attend the ceremony to present her perspective as one of the eight partner universities of CCIP.

As a form of gratitude to each host organizations for having spared no effort in steering CCIP towards success, souvenirs were presented to every one of them. A photo op towards the end of the ceremony was the perfect way to capture the strong tie formed among the program, the hosts and the students.

The event concluded with awards presentation and recognition ceremony. It was a stirring moment with the enthused cheering and applause by the students, who have developed a personal attachment to the program in these 7 weeks.

The impeccable evening was rounded off with a baseball game between two well known rivals, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. To say that it was an exhilarating match would be an understatement, and students got to experience for themselves the hype behind American baseball and why it was such an influential part of the American Culture

The spirit of CCIP was tangible that night, and it was most definitely a night that would be imprinted in the minds of students for a long time to come.

The Cross-Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) takes place in New York City every summer from May to August in two seven-week sessions. CCIP stresses East-West cultural exchange. It is aimed at individuals and organizations that share a global vision and it is committed to fostering mutually beneficial cultural exchange.

CCIP 2014 summer program registration will begin in October. For more information about CCIP, visit www.fusia.net or call the +1 (718) 643-0311 ext. 12 Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm US Eastern Standard Time.