I, like most other Spanish majors, had always dreamed about the opportunity to study abroad. However, as a three sport athlete on the cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams here at UMass, studying abroad during the academic school year was simply not an option for me.
So, I set my sights on going abroad during the summer. I wouldn’t let myself miss out on the study abroad experience, as I knew it was an important step in my quest to becoming fluent in Spanish. And beyond language fluency, I also saw the priceless value of having the opportunity to delve into the culture of a Spanish-speaking community, live with a host family, and go outside my comfort zone to experience life outside of the United States.