In the early 1990s, just after the fall of communism in Romania, American educator Susan Shapiro invited Romanian teacher Simona Baciu to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to observe American educational philosophy and methodology. That trip was an act of trust and generosity between two people who believed that education could bridge cultures. Simona returned home and, encouraged by Susan, started what would become Transylvania College in Cluj-Napoca, Romania—the first private, English-speaking school in the country.

Together, they co-authored The Teacher Within, a framework for teacher well-being that now serves as the foundation of Lattice’s exchange training program. Today, every teacher who joins Lattice will complete this curriculum before arriving in the United States. It has grown with contributions from experts in mental health, multilingual education, and special education, but its roots remain the same: to help educators arrive prepared to teach and to build trust, resilience, and community connection.

More than curriculum grew from that first exchange. Though it began as a kindergarten in Simona’s second bedroom, Transylvania College now enrolls over 700 students from 30 countries. Its teachers participate in global research, and its students compete at the world’s most selective robotics tournaments. In 2018, the school’s Science Department Chair was selected as one of four global ambassadors for a NASA–Honeywell education program, where she helped train over 200 teachers from 56 countries on how to use space exploration as a cross-disciplinary teaching tool. These are the long-tail outcomes of exchange: not just learning, but diplomacy; not just exposure, but long-term, life-changing opportunity—for students, families, and communities.

This is the kind of exchange Lattice was created to replicate.

Our founder’s connection to Romania goes back more than twenty years. Matthew’s high school water polo coach moved to the United States after the Romanian Revolution. He arrived in Texas with a clear mission: to build a better life. Over the course of two decades, he coached thousands of students, won 38 state championships, and became one of the most respected coaches in Texas.

But his dream was always to return home—to bring back what he had learned and invest it in his own country. In 2020, he moved back to Romania and built a semi-Olympic pool in Bucharest. Today he proudly flies the Texas and Romanian flags from the roof of the pool, openly displays his old Texas license plate in the lobby, and hangs the American flag in the conference room.

Now back home, he is a prime example exchanges coming full circle.

Just like Susan and Simona’s story, coach’s journey shows what’s possible when people-to-people exchange is done right. It isn’t just cultural—it’s professional, civic, and economic. It builds skills, raises standards, and plants seeds that grow for decades. These stories, one born in a school and one in a swimming pool, set the tone for what we hope to build at Lattice.

Lattice is a platform for long-term relationships. We started Lattice because we’ve seen firsthand how much these exchanges can accomplish when the work is taken seriously and the support is deep.

Our program is designed to recruit, prepare, and walk alongside international educators—ensuring they thrive in their classrooms, their districts, and their lives.