The Cumberland School Board heard from Cumberland High School senior Preston Sutton, who was chosen to represent the U.S. as one of nine students from across the country as Youth Ambassadors to Brazil.

According to a press release, Sutton was selected out of 9,000 applicants to join a U.S. Student Ambassador program.

“The nine students spent three weeks in May in Brazil and had many learning opportunities. Preston gave an overview of the program and provided details about his experiences in Brazil living with his host family,” officials said in the release.

The U.S. Youth Ambassador Exchange Program is part of an international nonprofit World Learning, which establishes exchange programs for students and adults to learn about other cultures and apply what they learned to their own countries.

Sutton thanked Martha Olmos, his Spanish teacher, for making him aware of the program.

Preston is the son of Stephanie Baldwin, of Farmville and Michael Sutton, of Cumberland.