By Kistler Hunt
Honors junior Emma Estudillo spent her summer at the Universidad de Almeria in Almeria, Spain. Estudillo is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in political science and Spanish. This was Estudillo’s first time traveling outside the country, and she was the first person in her family to travel outside the United States. She explained that “Without the help of the Honors College, I do not think I would have studied abroad! Her advisor, Dr. Garrett McDowell, and those she has met throughout her time in Honors have supported Estudillo to go abroad and throughout her time in Spain. She further highlighted, “I do not think I would have been able to complete this trip without the encouragement of both my Honors peers and my Honors College advisor.”
While abroad, Estudillo took Spanish coursework for her minor. She chose to study abroad in Spain for several reasons. She reflected, “I decided to travel to Spain so that I could learn more Spanish and be able to implement it in real-time.” Estudillo further mentions that the location of Almeria was another contributing factor, saying, “I chose Universidad de Almeria because of its location on the Mediterranean Ocean.”
Estudillo gained numerous insights from her time in Spain and shared that it was “A wonderful addition to my life, including my time here at Appalachian State.”
One of the biggest takeaways from her time abroad came from her experience living with a host family, which taught her the importance of patience. Her host family knew almost no English, and as she explained,
“I was in no way proficient [in Spanish]. There were a few times where I got frustrated with my lack of Spanish vocabulary, and my host family members were always extremely patient with me and very encouraging. They genuinely wanted me to succeed. I needed to simply take a step back, as I could not learn better with frustration. I was patient with myself, I was patient with my host family, and my host family was patient with me.”
Her experience with her host family also taught her to exercise patience in her daily life. She learned that “I cannot set up my future successfully without having patience and compassion for myself and others.”
Finally, through this experience, Estudillo has become more experienced in successfully relating with people she “normally would never interact with,” and she learned to value her life and opportunities back home. She shared,
"Studying abroad has taught me that the world is much bigger than a set of due dates. I learned that I need to not be so hard on myself and learn how to value my time here at App State. Sometimes I find myself losing sight of the experiences and opportunities I have here, and I focus too much on the tiny details that won’t matter in a few years. I have decided to use my time at App State to live life to the fullest and actually enjoy school, rather than view it as a chore.”
After she graduates, Estudillo hopes to attend law school and become a lawyer. She knows that her experience in Spain will benefit her in her future work as a lawyer. It will allow her to expand her client base and better work with clients who are native Spanish speakers.
