SWDA is a recruitment agency based in the Dominican Republic that provides the Dominican college students the opportunity to participate in cultural exchange programmes in the United States.

Can you elaborate a little more on who you are and how SWDA started?

My name is Dalvin Toledo, founder of SWDA. SWDA was born from the passion I had to help other people do the Summer Work and Travel programme, as I did for 3 years. Before the start of SWDA I had created an Instagram account and a YouTube channel, where I published videos about the different processes that a student must carry out to complete the programme based on my experience. After a few months, I thought that I could help in a more direct way if I was in a recruiting agency for the program. The idea was born, and then I took the necessary steps to make it a reality.

What excites you the most about sending students to participate in summer work and travel programmes abroad?

What excites me the most is that students can live outside of their comfort zone, that they can learn, grow, and change for the better while becoming independent and improving their English. As I lived it, I tried to make sure that every SWDA participant could live it too. That’s what excites me the most.

How have you had to adapt to changing travel trends and stay relevant in the youth travel industry?

I think that keeping up with the times and trends is vital to staying relevant in the industry. At SWDA, we go hand in hand with the students, always guiding them, step by step in their process, supported by emerging technologies that can help us.

What sets you and your business, SWDA, apart from its competitors?

SWDA prides itself on offering personalised, fast, and effective customer service to each student while trying to keep each student’s individual processes up to date.