Scholarships take RIC students abroad

This summer, two postgraduate students are packing their bags to go abroad to study foreign languages ​​on generous scholarships.

Betsy Montes (header photo) and Caroline Bradley (above photo) are language education students. They will attend language classes in Guatemala and Spain to better prepare to serve Rhode Island’s diverse student community.

Montes will fly to Guatemala, the land of his ancestors, for two weeks to learn Kiche’ (also quiché), the Mayan language spoken by the Kʼiche’ people of the highlands of central Guatemala and Mexico.

Her research is funded by the Beatrice S. Demers Foreign Language Fellowship, administered by the Rhode Island Foundation. The $8,000 scholarship will help cover tuition at Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzaltenango, as well as housing, fees, travel, and other expenses.

“The Guatemalan population in Providence is large, and many don’t speak Spanish; they speak K’iche,” Montes says. “Learning K’iche on my own will help me feel more integrated and connect better with my students.”

“When I come back, I will continue my online studies with the same program for another two months,” she says. “I think it is important to keep the native languages ​​alive.”

While Montes is studying Kiche, Bradley will attend a five-week intensive Spanish language course at Education First’s international language campus in Barcelona, ​​Spain, to improve his fluency. To cover transportation and food costs, Bradley will use a $500 scholarship from the Rhode Island for Languages ​​Association awarded to students who wish to study abroad.

“I’ve always been interested in Spanish and other cultures since I was a little kid,” Bradley says. “My advisor, Dr. Papa, always encouraged me to go abroad, but I was very nervous. Now that the time has come, I know I can make significant progress in the language.”

Bradley wants to be well-prepared for a career as a Spanish teacher in Rhode Island. “At RIC, I learned a lot in Spanish classes. I spoke, read and wrote in Spanish, but I think going abroad is the best way to improve my skills,” she says.

Shortly after returning from the land of flamenco and tapas, Bradley will pack up again and head to San Juan, Puerto Rico to study at the Metropolitan Campus of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.

“I will spend my fall semester of 2024 in Puerto Rico. I will take part in practical classes to complete my education and language courses,” she says. “I will develop lesson plans and go into the classroom to teach in a real-world setting. I think this constant exposure to the language will build my confidence in my ability to speak, read, and write the language.”

This is Montes and Bradley’s first study abroad experience, and they are both grateful and eager to see what the experience will bring in a foreign country.