Shown from left are McKenna Clay and her Wawasee High School Spanish teacher, Mindy Coblentz. Photo by Blair Baumgartner.

By Blair Baumgartner
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Wawasee junior McKenna Clay was exposed to Spanish at a young age. Her dad’s side of the family speaks Spanish.

Clay was recently accepted to the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages and will be part of a six-week study abroad program in Cuidad Real, Spain, this summer.

Classes start June 7 and conclude July 19.

The IUHPFL has been offering high school students a chance to study a language abroad since 1962.

The program’s website touches on how it incorporates a “four-pillar structure,” which is a combination of “intensive academic instruction, mandatory language commitment to speak only in the target language while abroad, community engagement activities and full-time integration into a host family [that] allows for students to participate in a total immersion experience.”

According to the IUHPFL website, “Since its beginning in 1962, IUHPFL has changed the lives of over 8,300 Indiana high school students, many of whom continued to study and speak their languages within a variety of careers and international experiences.”

Clay said, “At orientation, I was the only student I know of from a small town in this part of the state. The other students were mostly from larger communities like Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Muncie and many attend much larger schools.”

When Clay started taking Spanish courses at Wawasee her freshman year, she became passionate about learning and speaking the language. She said, “It really just made sense in my mind. That’s just how my brain works.”

She started speaking it more with her dad. At the conclusion of her sophomore year, Clay traveled to Europe during the summer with a group of students led by Wawasee Spanish teacher Mindy Coblentz. The summer 2022 trip started in Dublin, Ireland, and from there the group traveled to London, England; and Paris and Normandy, France.

When she was in France, she didn’t really know the language. She realized she wants to master Spanish to transcend language barriers and really help others feel more comfortable by being able to communicate with them in their native tongue.

In the future, Clay would like to focus on health care. She is thinking about going into pediatric health care with a possible focus on the pediatric intensive care unit. She will minor in Spanish, which would allow her to communicate more proficiently with her Spanish-speaking patients.

While referring to the IUHPFL application process, Clay said, “I didn’t think I would be accepted. I thought the worst case is they say, ‘no’. The best case is I really get to learn the language.”

The application process included 25 “about me” questions, multiple teacher evaluations, an outside evaluation and writing samples.

Coblentz said, “This is a very prestigious program. Not everyone is accepted. I knew McKenna had the work ethic, ability and grades. After observing how she handled herself while traveling to Europe last summer, I knew she would be great for the program.”

Coblentz said she spent a significant amount of time filling out paperwork as part of the application process while recommending Clay for the program.

Classes are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Clay will stay with a host family. The students taking part in IUHPFL will mostly only be allowed to speak in Spanish.

Clay said that some of the host families do not know English.

She is excited to learn more about Spain’s culture and food. The program features numerous cultural outings in different Spanish cities.

Clay is a little nervous about speaking only Spanish. She is confident in her ability to read and write in Spanish, but is worried she will forget some words while speaking with native speakers.

She said students will have a simple phone (non-smart phone) during the duration of the program so they will not be distracted by a mobile device.

They are only allowed to speak English for a very limited amount of time each week. They will have small handbooks written in English telling them about the host country’s rules and norms. They are also allowed to have an English dictionary in their possession.

When talking about her protege, Coblentz said, “McKenna is in the upper crust of students I would recommend for the program. I see great work ethic and potential in her. This is a huge step in her language acquisition. Some students come back from this program fluent.”