This summer, four young women from Brown County High School will travel abroad to immerse themselves in the Spanish language for six weeks after being accepted into an honors program through Indiana University.
Juniors Myka Snyder, Allison Stogsdill, Katie Trapp and Cassidy Davis were all accepted into the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages, for Indiana high school students who take a foreign language at Level 3 or higher.
Snyder will study in Leon, Spain. Stogsdill will travel to Oviedo, Spain. Trapp and Davis have been placed in Merida, Mexico.
During their time abroad, the students will take courses including grammar, communication, phonetics, literature and culture, said BCHS Spanish teacher Lauren Spiece. They also will participate in music, sports, dance and theater while living with a dedicated host family and will visit cultural and historic sites in their host cities and countries, Spiece said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]To be considered for the program, students submitted writing samples in Spanish and multiple teacher recommendations.
“This opportunity will expose me to a new culture and further my speaking skills and knowledge concerning the Spanish language,” Stogsdill said.
She plans to continue to study Spanish in college and plans to earn a minor in the language. “This experience will not only catapult my academic resume, but will also allow me to gather a better sense of individuality, responsibility, social skills and independence. I am especially looking forward to meeting new people, adventuring and seeing the world from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean,” she said in an email.
The students will have to raise around $6,000 each to fund their trips. If anyone wishes to donate, they can email Spiece at [email protected] or call her at 812-988-6606.
Three of the students, Stogsdill, Trapp and Davis, have organized GoFundMe fundraisers. Stogsdill also has set up a savings account specifically to cover the trip’s expenses at People’s State Bank in Nashville under the name “Allison Stogsdill.”
Stogsdill’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/send-bc-student-allison-stogsdill-to-spain.
Davis’ fundraiser page is posted at gofundme.com/study-abroad-in-mexico-for-six-weeks.
Trapp’s goal is to raise $500 toward her overall cost of $4,400 for airfare and program fees. “By donating, you will be supporting my dream of traveling and becoming fluent in another language. I plan to study Spanish in college as well, so this trip would give me a head start and help me to my goal of becoming completely fluent in Spanish,” her fundraiser page reads.
Trapp’s GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/mt4ha-help-us-go-to-mexico.
