JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Seven Jackson Public School (JPS) students got the chance to travel to Nigeria. They were selected for the Global Citizen Project, which allows students to connect with their peers worldwide, as well as learn about and experience different cultures.

After completing a competitive application, the students boarded a plane on Friday, May 5 to travel to Lagos, Nigeria.

“The project is to show the migration of coming from Africa to Baltimore to Mississippi. And so, we have a partnership with our students who they meet with each other together. And so, they’ve been working all year via Zoom and doing book studies, case studies and just reviewing the migration. And so now ,the students are able to meet their partners in Lagos and Nigeria,” said Jana Williams, college and career readiness manager for JPS.

The students, along with Superintendent Dr. Errick Greene, will return to the United States on May 13.

“Very excited. I’ve never been out of country before, so this is going to be a very educational and a good experience for me to partake in,” said Jaylon Fell, a 11th grade student at Forest Hill High School.

Greene said the Hewlett Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation funded the project.

“There are some things about home that you didn’t realize that you really appreciated, but not everybody has that experience or those resources. I’m just happy to be along with them this year. I wasn’t able to attend last year when we sent scholars and just to observe them and support them as they’re making sense of the world,” stated Greene.