Published July 30, 2018
A group of University of Louisiana Monroe students had the opportunity this summer
to practice their Spanish in a beautiful tropical setting.
Under the direction of Mary Blanche Wortham, Instructor of World Languages, Dr. Ruth
Smith, Director of Humanities and 12 students polished their Spanish in a two-week
immersion experience in this Central America country.
The students were enrolled from the elementary through senior class levels. Those
who had completed more than six hours at ULM immediately used their language skills
with taxi drivers, clerks and waiters.
"It was very rewarding to observe the students' enthusiasm in using the language and
their eagerness to learn more about the Costa Rican culture,” Wortham said. “These
students went beyond academic excellence and were amazing representatives of the University."
ULM students doing some sightseeing in Costa Rica during a two-week study abroad.
The students worked on improving their Spanish. Courtesy photo
The student participants were: Emily Healy, dual degree in Spanish and Communication;
Tabitha Birdwell and Amber Waterhouse, Spanish majors; Miranda Spurgeon, second-year
nursing; Elizabeth Hancock, Speech-Language-Pathology; Colby Patrick, Secondary Education;
Trey Skains, Toxicology; Kyle Dacdac, Biology; Carolyn Manemans, Kinesiology; Harrison
Gravelle, Political Science; and Kaci Favaro and Kristie Stansells, Elementary Education.
Smith said studying abroad gives students the opportunity to improve their skills
surrounded by the culture.
"Study abroad is designed to give students the chance to apply and improve on their
abilities with the language in context,” Smith said. “These students took full advantage
of this opportunity and impressed themselves with how well they did."
