Why Study Abroad?: How Costa Rica Will Impact Me and My Future Career

 I admit, I was that student who thought, "Study abroad? No way, that's just for people who study international relations or a second language or whatever." Yeah, needless to say, I was very wrong. 

I originally chose to study abroad during my sophomore year after visiting my counselor for a completely unrelated topic. While planning out the rest of my classes, my counselor asked if I had considered adding a minor since I had some extra room in my schedule. I immediately knew that Spanish was right for me since I already took two Spanish classes, which I really enjoyed. Two weeks after adding my Spanish minor, I stumbled across a study abroad fair held in the NAU Honors College. I chatted with the study abroad advisor from Latin America, Mikaela Terry, who described the program and all of its amazing benefits. I scheduled a one-on-one appointment with her the following week, and the rest is history! 

    Of course, learning Spanish is the primary reason to study abroad in Costa Rica. Personally, as a Secondary Education major, I believe that being bilingual will help me in my future career as a high school teacher. Not only will I be able to teach Spanish to students whose first language is English, but I also have to opportunity to teach English to people whose primary language is Spanish. In other words, by being bilingual, I can teach twice as many students, which means I have more job opportunities. 

    Studying abroad not only helps me improve my Spanish skills, but it provides me with more independence and the opportunity to interact with and experience a different culture. While going to a completely different country might sound daunting, the NAU staff are always nearby and available to help in any way needed. Even during a pandemic, I have felt safe and happy here in Costa Rica. (For more information about COVID-19 in Costa Rica, visit my post "COVID-19: How Ticans Tackle the Pandemic.") This program has introduced me to a different way of life, which has not only been thrilling and exciting, but it also allows me to question how and why I live the way that I do and what I want my future to look like. 

    Overall, I have been so thankful that I chose to study abroad. This experience has been so much better than I could have even imagined! To anyone on the fence about the issue, as someone who has been where you are, go for it!

 ¡Pura Vida!  

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