4 IVCC students study abroad this summer

For the first time, a student in Illinois Valley Community College’s study-abroad program will study in South Korea. Three other students also left recently to study for a month in Spain and Costa Rica.

Study Abroad Program Coordinator Amanda Cook Fesperman says the trips are an exciting way to learn other languages and become immersed in other cultures. “Our study abroad opportunities change their lives. Students frequently list it as one of the highlights of their educational careers and a platform for further international travel.”

Hope Baratta’s first international trip ever is to South Korea, where she will study Korean language and culture, which will include calligraphy, K-pop music and spending a day at the DMZ border between North and South Korea. “I have always wanted to travel to another country. My sister is a flight attendant, and she sparked my interest in traveling because I see how it impacts her and the joys that come from exploring new cultures,” said Baratta, who is from Mendota.

Her goal is to eventually learn several languages, and the study-abroad program immerses students in native languages. “Korea stood out to me because they have such a different sentence structure and alphabet. I see learning it as a way to challenge myself and learn a language that is not as common to us.”

Baratta is studying accounting and is interested in international business. “South Korea is one of the most advanced economies, with companies such as Samsung and Kia. If you want to do business with countries from around the world, you should learn about their culture and language because it helps build a better understanding of the people you are communicating with.”

Valerie Valdes of Mendota knows her first trip abroad will also mean a lot to the career she is pursuing as a bilingual educator. “I am excited to visit a different country and I am looking forward to meeting new people and gaining insight on different cultures and customs.”

Valdes knows the trip and the grasp of language it gives her will expand the resources she will bring to teaching, and she has always enjoyed history. Plus, she speaks Spanish, so “I am eager to compare their language to the Spanish I know.”

“Study-abroad students attend college language and history classes while they are abroad, and the credits are granted by IVCC, so they transfer seamlessly as a student moves to a four-year university,” Cook Fesperman said.

Danica Scoma of Utica has become a veteran international traveler on her own, having been to France and Costa Rica. Lately she was brushing up on her Spanish in anticipation of her study-abroad trip to Spain.

“I truly hope to come back better able to understand and speak Spanish. I am excited to try new foods, see new places, meet new people and to experience the Spanish lifestyle, especially with the difference in mealtimes and a daily siesta!” Scoma said. She is determined that this first study-abroad experience will not be her only one.

Becoming multilingual will broaden her way of reaching and helping people, though she is undecided whether the career ahead is art therapy, communications, political science or something else.

During their stay in Spain, Valdes and Scoma will also visit Morocco and Portugal.

Conlan Cwikla of Seatonville says Costa Rica will be a great classroom for him, since he hopes to major in biology or environmental science. In Costa Rica, Cwikla will visit volcanoes and a coffee plantation.

“Seeing the world is a dream of mine, and traveling is something I would love to do more of. I became interested in study-abroad programs from YouTube vlogs, and I was excited to learn that IVCC offers the opportunity!” Cwikla said.

Cwikla initially hesitated to apply for the study-abroad program, but he is glad he did. “I know I will enjoy it, and if you think you will, too, do not miss out on the next opportunity!”

IVCC offers study-abroad programs on four continents every summer, along with programs to Austria, England, Ireland and Spain in the fall and spring semesters. "Wherever you want to study, we can probably make it happen!” Cook Fesperman said.

Scoma says studying abroad may sound expensive and out of reach, but it is not. “I think studying abroad through a community college is the easiest way to do so. There are scholarships available, and (Fesperman) has helped me so much in this process that I believe this experience is for everyone, no matter their financial situation.”

Study-abroad is open to anyone over 18 who has completed 12 credit hours of college courses and maintained a 2.75 grade point average and a B grade in English Composition 1 or 2. The program is open to community members, graduating high school seniors, or students from other institutions as well as IVCC students.

Cook Fesperman, too, participated in a professional exchange program that took her to The Netherlands this spring to stay with the Dutch educators she hosted last fall.

For more information on the program, contact Cook Fesperman at 815-224-0203.