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Saints Abroad
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Chances to travel and explore the world may be few and far between during an undergraduate’s journey – which is what makes Emmanuel College’s Modern Languages department especially valuable for students seeking global perspective.
Whether they want to connect deeper with their own culture or discover a new one, the College’s Modern Languages courses uniquely intertwine travel into the curriculum, providing an accessible window into exploring new countries and cultures without spending a whole semester away from campus.
This summer, for example, 20 students and their professors spent several weeks in Spain and Morocco, studying the culture up-close and personal in a way that allowed them to be fully immersed in the content they absorbed all semester.
Travel and Culture Baked Right In
At the beginning of the summer, Senior Lecturer of Spanish, Idoia Martinez-del Mozo, travelled with her 12 students in the “LANG2605 Spain: A Cultural Approach” to the Basque region of Spain. Highlighting Emmanuel’s travel course model, Martinez-del Mozo said she and her fellow faculty in the Modern Languages department can design their courses in a way that ensures the classroom experience mirrors their travel experience, all while providing their expert guidance and support to students while abroad.
“Senior Lecturer of Spanish, Idoia Martinez-del MozoI don’t know that many schools have this model – the learning is deeper, more real and is going to stick more."
Inside the Spain Trip
During the four-week trip, students stayed with host families and studied at the Universidad of Deusto in Bilbao, while enjoying day trips to other areas of the country, and even organized a weekend trip to Barcelona by themselves.
All the classwork, travel prep and anticipation really “clicked” for Emma Guevara ’27 on one of the first days they were in Bilbao. Fans gathered and filled the streets for the Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona soccer match, and being amongst the buzz and excitement all throughout town was indescribable for Guevara and her fellow travelers.
Guevara had always wanted to study abroad. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household, this trip was an opportunity to re-immerse herself in the language, and it did more than just that. Spending time in an unfamiliar place, she became comfortable exploring solo, at her own pace, and appreciated having additional travel experience under her belt to support her travel goals in the future – like visiting her family in Guatemala.
“After traveling to Spain, I feel readier than ever to do that, and am confident in my ability to explore other countries while I’m over there too,” she said.
As graduation continued to approach, Guevara began to wonder if she could fit in travel time with all of her campus commitments – like serving as a Resident Assistant and Research Coordinator for HUELLAS. Thanks to the travel course model, she didn’t have to choose. “I didn’t have to miss out on anything at Emmanuel,” she said.
Inside the Morocco Trip
“LANG2665: Arabic Language and Culture in Context,” taught by Senior Lecturer Mustapha Sami, was designed to familiarize students with the language, culture and history of the Arab world. Traveling to the Qalam wa Lawh Center in Rabat, Morocco, students took a language and culture course as part of their day-to-day in addition to their excursions to Marrakesh, Casablanca and through the Sahara Desert.
Taking Arabic courses out of her own personal interest, Neuroscience major Sham Dib ’26 came away from the course with new friendships, cultural experiences and insights.
“I’m forever grateful for this because we formed friendships we might’ve never had and got even closer with everyone in Morocco,” Dib said.
With her major, Dib wasn’t sure she’d be able to fit a travel experience into her college journey, but the travel course structure was the perfect fit, allowing her to maintain internships and the academic schedule she’d prepared for. Throughout the process, the support and integration with Emmanuel’s International Programs office was seamless as well, she added. “They provided support and an open door when it came to all the stressful parts of traveling, so I didn’t have to worry as much.”
Dib enjoyed Marrakesh in particular, where she and her classmates were out and immersed in the culture every day, even just walking to class in the morning. “A couple weeks in, I felt like I was part of the culture – you can’t say no to tea in Morocco,” she said.
She said she loves that she’s able to put this experience on her resume and show that she’s had this worldly experience learning abroad – and she has the growth to show for it. “I grew so much over the course of that month. I think differently – I grew as a person, both academically and mentally.”