SiS Newsletter - July 2010 - I. L.: Rita Tejada

Rita Tejada, Associate Professor at Luther College (IA)

Rita came to the States in 1991 as a graduate student with a Fulbright scholarship. Rita's favorite classes incluye issues of poverty, child labor, and violence against women. "We go to see how other people live," she says, "and in the process, we learn to appreciate what we have." To encourage cross-culturalism here in Decorah, Rita speaks only Spanish with her daughters at home and works to establish a Spanish language program in local elementary schools. "A second language only improves children's assets," Rita says. "They're inescapably part of a global community."

When was the last time you have been to Spain?
I visited Spain last summer from June 14 until June 21, 2009.

What do you enjoy most about Spain?
My trip allowed me to enjoy the wonderful Spanish gastronomy, visit landmarks in Madrid, Salamanca, Toledo and Alcalá, and, above all, experience the friendly hospitality of Spain inhabitants.

What do you think are the advantages of Spain as a destination for American students?
Spain is the motherland of Spanish language and American students have the opportunity to improve their language skills by attending state of the art language institutions. These institutions offer curricula that integrate academics and co curricular cultural activities, allowing students to maximize their experience.

Could you describe the Study Abroad programs your university has with Spain?
Spanish majors at Luther College choose an array of locations in Spain to fulfill their language immersion requirement. An average of 1 to 10 Luther students travel to Spain in any given academic year and Valencia, Salamanca, Santander, and Alicante are chosen as academic destinations. Luther College will start an intense J-Term course, Language and Culture of Spain, in January 2011 by partnering with Málaga Sí Language School, in Málaga, Spain.

How satisfied are, in general, American students going to Spain?
Spain continues and will continue being the country of preference for our students to fulfill a semester abroad experience (either in fall or spring). Traveling to Spain during summer season and for academic reasons is becoming a new trend for our students who are not able to spend a full semester abroad during a regular school year.