My Study Abroad Program to Spain!

Hello there, and welcome to my campaign! I am a third-year biological sciences undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine. I live off campus in Irvine,  but my home is in Corona, California. 

I am raising money for a study abroad program to Spain I would love to be a part of! The program is run by Saddleback College, and takes place during the summer for about four weeks. The main courses offered would be Spanish classes. In addition to the Spanish classes, of course, would be a wealth of cultural immersions, sightseeing, and fun activities (like guitar lessons and cooking classes!).  If you'd like to find out more about the program, I'd encourage you to visit their website at: http://www.saddleback.edu/la/study-abroad-program-santander-spain. 


I plan on using the money to pay for the program fees. These include but are not limited to:
• airfare package
• a homestay 
• a meal plan 
• weekly laundry service
• class materials (books, notebooks, etc)
• I'd also like to get little goodies to those who choose to donate money for my campaign :)

There are a number of deadlines I have to meet for the fees:
• March 20 - $450 non-refundable deposit + $250 airfare deposit
• April 10 - $1500 for airfare
• April 20 - full payment of final numbers (which can range anywhere from ~$4000 - ~$5000)

Receiving help for paying for this program would mean the world to me for a number of reasons! First, I do have some recent lineage that can be traced back to Spain. Getting to know the culture and land my grandfather grew up in would be something very special and remarkable for me, especially now that he has been resting peacefully for over five years now.

Second, learning to speak Spanish fluently is a goal of mine. I am Mexican American, so a good portion of my family speaks Spanish and only Spanish - it would be wonderful to be able to effectively communicate with my own family members. I also live in Southern California and have an interest in the health field, so being able to speak Spanish fluently would greatly help in me assisting the underserved Latino/Hispanic communities in the local area. And what better way to learn to speak Spanish fluently than to be constantly surrounded by it? I do a lot of community service with a club called Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine. Our club runs a number of mentorship programs for students of underserved communities such as in Santa Ana. Being able to effectively communicate in Spanish with the students would instill a whole new level of trust and understanding. I also do community outreach with UCI's Pediatric Exercise Research Center. I help run booths at health fairs we participate in, and try to raise awareness about exercise, consumption of sugar and it's effects on the body, and healthy habits. There are some fairs we do that are in predominantly Hispanic/Latino areas, and thus, I would be able to effectively reach out to the people of these communities by practicing the Spanish I learn in Spain!

Last but not least, traveling to another country is a dream of mine. I have a strong appetite for travel and adventure. I love to experience new things, and diving into another culture and meeting people who live their lives a little bit differently than I do would be a very beautiful and eye-opening experience, I think. 

If it has not been explicit enough, then let it be so - I would be tremendously thankful for any amount of donation I receive!! As you may be aware, paying for higher education in the United States is extremely difficult for many families, and mine is no exception. My family and I would greatly appreciate any amount of help we can get! 

As I said earlier, I'd like to do something a little special for those that make a contribution. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, and needless to say, commenting on any of them would spoil the surprise! However, I will say that it will probably involve a lot of pictures and (ideally) a little goodie or two. :)

Thank you for stopping by my campaign, and please consider donating any amount you wish! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day! Take care now.