Rhude gains independence 和 confidence during study abroad in Spain

When newbb电子平台 student Caroline Rhude heard of the opportunity to study abroad in Spain this summer, 她抓住了这个机会.

Not only was it a chance to improve her Spanish skills, but it turned into an opportunity to fully immerse herself in the language 和 culture, gain independence 和 learn more about herself.

“这次旅行绝对是不可思议的. I feel like I got to branch out so much,”她说。.

的经验, 托莱多的西班牙语言和文化, aligned with her academic interests perfectly.

Rhude, 谁是布兰彻斯特人, 俄亥俄州, is an incoming junior majoring in Spanish through the 荣誉导师学院 和 社会工作 through the College of Health Sciences 和 Professions. 她也在辅修 舞蹈-表演和编舞 和 业务分析，并获得证书 欧洲研究 和 拉丁美洲研究.

Rhude journeyed to Toledo, Spain, along with other OHIO students for about eight weeks. 在她逗留期间, she took classes for OHIO credit through the Universidad Castilla-La Mancha 和 stayed with a host family of four.

“I spent a great deal of time with my two host sisters, 和 I kind of got to figure out their daily routine, 他们的习惯和兴趣, 和 their eating schedule which is really interesting because it’s super different than here in the United States,罗德说. “I also got to use my Spanish outside of class. I was worried that I might revert back to English, but the parents only spoke Spanish.”
 

纳尔逊希波吕忒, 留学项目主任, planned multiple excursions for the OHIO students, 包括去康苏韦格拉的旅行, 塞戈维亚和马德里. Hippolyte is professor of instruction in the 现代语言学系 在文理学院.

入住期间, students were also encouraged to venture to other cities 和 countries nearby during their free time. Rhude elected to stay within Spain, visiting Sevilla, Granada 和 Valencia by train.

“I would say a big [lesson I learned] personally is how much independence that I didn’t realize I had until I actually went abroad,”她说。. “It’s one thing to move to college 和 have your own responsibilities within a small town, but it’s another to completely explore an entire city.”

Rhude gained confidence in herself after being able to book all her accommodations 和 trips completely in Spanish.

While the opportunity to study abroad improved her Spanish skills, it also connected to her 社会工作 major as well. According to Rhude, who is an adoptee from China, Spain has a high rate of Chinese adoptions. She was interested to see the attitudes toward Chinese adoptions in the country.

While most of her experiences were positive, there were some that made her pause. Encouraged by her director, she wrote about her encounters of discrimination for her final report.

“This journey has taught me a lot about what it means to be open minded, receptive 和 adaptable to new people 和 situations,”她说。. “I am looking forward to applying these skills to my future career in 社会工作 where the goal is to always advocate for 和 underst和 a diverse range of people.”
 

对于Rhude, the trip solidified that her recent switch to earn degrees in both 社会工作 和 Spanish was the right move.

“我认为, even despite some of the issues that I ran into, this was one of those experiences that I realized is much bigger than me. 我可能遇到麻烦了, 但是你知道, I want to be a 社会工作er 和 will always seek an opportunity to learn from unpleasant or uncomfortable circumstances,罗德说. 在社会工作中, you will work with populations that are different from you 和 people who have different perspectives. But the point is to always advocate for, underst和, 和 help them. So, it was nice to break out of my little bubble of 俄亥俄州. I’m not just here to study; I’m actually here to see how other people live.”

Rhude hopes to work in the future with Spanish-speaking families, whether they are going through the adoption process or not. She also aims to connect with a diverse range of people by learning other languages, 包括普通话.

After returning home from Spain, Rhude is gearing up for a busy year in 雅典.

她担任…的副总裁 俄亥俄州的西格玛德尔塔派分会, a National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, which promotes the usage of the Spanish language in an academic 和 professional realm. She is active in the Asian American/Pacific Isl和er Student Union (AAPISU) as well.

在即将到来的一年里, Rhude will serve as treasurer for the OHIO chapter of the 俄亥俄州 Innocence Project-U, affiliated with the University of Cincinnati College of Law, which advocates for those who have been wrongfully convicted.

She is also looking out for any new opportunities to study or travel abroad.

“I would highly encourage people to study abroad if they could,”她说。. “It definitely adds to [your education] 和 I would highly recommend people do it. 这是一种新型的独立.”