Global Bridge Program Dominican Republic | Students International

Take the Global Bridge!

To College, Ministry, The World.

Pursue Passionate Faith,

Discover your calling through Service,

Invest in Your Future

The Global Bridge program combines a life-changing ministry experience and a full year of college credit. Students live and serve in the Dominican Republic while earning credit, discovering their passion, and finding their calling.

A Purposeful Bridge to What Comes Next

Figuring out your career path, major, or future direction can feel overwhelming. The Global Bridge provides the intentional space and structure you need for genuine self-discovery.

Through our partnership with Crown College, you can earn fully transferable academic credits while serving on the mission field. It’s an affordable way to stay academically active while gaining the spiritual, personal, and vocational clarity required to take your next steps with total confidence.

Uncover Your Passions Through Vocational Ministry

True self-discovery happens when you apply your faith to real-world challenges. On the Global Bridge, you will be deeply immersed in a specific ministry site that aligns with your raw talents and potential career goals. Whether your interests lie in healthcare, education, sports, or social work, you will work alongside full-time missionaries—giving you a hands-on look at how your unique skills can serve God’s kingdom and shape your professional future.

Deepen Your Faith and Form Lifelong Community

A successful gap year is built on intentional mentorship and spiritual formation. Throughout your time, you will engage in structured Bible study, personal discipleship, and community living with like-minded peers who are also seeking a deeper walk with God. This supportive environment ensures that your season of self-discovery is grounded in a lasting, resilient relationship with Christ.

Cross the Bridge to a Purpose

Finding your path shouldn’t mean pausing your growth. The Global Bridge is a structured, faith-based gap year experience designed to help young adults step out of the routine and into their God-given potential. Our program delivers a holistic approach to self-discovery.

Explore the four pillars of the Global Bridge journey:

DYNAMIC FAITH

A LIFE CALLING

IMMERSIVE EDUCATION

GLOBAL ADVENTURE

An Investment in Your Future That Makes Sense

We believe that a season of self-discovery shouldn’t put you in financial debt. The Global Bridge is intentionally designed to be an affordable Christian gap year option that delivers immense value—combining real college credit, housing, cross-cultural immersion, and hands-on ministry experience.

Before you assume a gap year is out of reach, see how we stack up against traditional university tuition.

Meet the Directors

As Global Bridge Director and Field Director, they serve in the Dominican Republic by mentoring students, leading Bible studies, and guiding them in their walk with Christ. They are passionate about helping students discover how their God-given gifts can be used in ministry and encouraging them to live as lifelong missionaries—both in the DR and wherever God leads them next. Dustin and Courtney hail from Texas and have two boys, Cole and Luke. 

Why Choose the Global Bridge for Your Gap Year?

Gain Real World Experience: Work alongside experienced, long-term missionaries to gain hands-on field experience in a potential career field. By testing your gifts in medicine, education, or sports, you may just discover your vocational calling.
Spanish Language Immersion: Open new doors for your future. Most participants leave the program with at least an intermediate level of Spanish proficiency, giving you a life-long tool to connect with others and enhance your future career opportunities.
Build Lifelong, Christ-Centered Community: Surround yourself with like-minded young adults. The deep, intentional environment of our ministry sites fosters resilient, lifelong friendships rooted in a shared love for Christ.
Broaden Your Global Perspective: Expand your worldview through fully accredited online classes with Crown College and extended time in a foreign country. You will experience the Church as a global, unified body by actively engaging with a vibrant, multicultural church family.
Prepare for a Lifetime of Purposeful Ministry: Learn how to effectively navigate cross-cultural dynamics and communicate across barriers. Whether God ultimately calls you to serve overseas or right across the street, you will be equipped to live a life on mission.

This is not a conventional college experience, and it isn’t a gap year. If you are ready to grow in Christlikeness, and ignite a passion for global missions, your next chapter starts here.

What is a Gap Year—And Why Do You Need One?

According to the Gap Year Association, a gap year is defined as a semester or year of experiential learning taken to deepen one’s practical, professional, and personal awareness. It is a purposeful pause designed to give young adults the space to pursue self-discovery, gain critical life experience, and clarify future career goals.

Whether you are transitioning between academic chapters or hitting reset on your current college direction, taking a faith-based gap year prepares you to thrive in whatever comes next.

The Global Bridge Advantage: Growth Without the Pause

Many young adults worry that taking a gap year means falling behind their peers. With the Global Bridge, the exact opposite is true.

Our program offers all the transformative advantages of a traditional gap year—cross-cultural travel, hands-on service, and deep personal growth—but with a game-changing difference: you earn fully transferable college credits while saving money.

Talk With Us

Want to know more about Students International and how we’ve seen God transform students and communities? Send us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.