Abigail

Throughout my college career, I focused on developing the speaking and writing skills necessary to communicate in Spanish. As an undergraduate student at Eastern Illinois University, I studied Spanish in the form of grammar, conversation, films and literature in order to improve my proficiency in the language and obtain my Spanish minor. In my final semester of college, I traveled to Salamanca, Spain to live with a host family for six weeks. I was able to use my Spanish in a real life setting and experience a fascinating new culture. For the last two years, I have taught Spanish with Futura Language Professionals and volunteered in Dane County, providing childcare for Hispanic children while their parents took English courses.

This summer, I took a trip to Peru, where I volunteered at a local orphanage for five weeks. I spent most of my time working with the children and house mothers to improve living conditions, tutor, and build up the childrens confidence. As my third trip abroad, and second working in an orphanage, I was able to understand the needs of the children and communicate well with the local team that sent the volunteers. By combining travel and studies, I have been able to reach a proficiency in Spanish that allows me to communicate with others and accomplish things that I otherwise would not be able to with English alone. It is my desire to use these skills that I have acquired in a helpful way and to spread the joy of understanding and speaking such a beautiful language.