Spanish in action

Sixteen Kansas State University students spent part of their summer putting their Spanish language skills to work through immersive cultural experiences and individualized research projects in Spain.

The students, representing majors and minors across the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Architecture, Planning & Design, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, participated in "Spain Today: Madrid, Pamplona y el Norte," a faculty-led study abroad program directed by Rebecca Bender, associate professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages.

Now in its sixth year, the 4 1/2-week program ran from May 24 to June 24 and allowed students to earn six credit hours through a Spanish course at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and a K-State Spanish course taught by Bender.

Coursework included visits to cultural sites and historical monuments in Madrid and Pamplona, as well as day trips to Toledo; the medieval towns and castles of Olite and Javier; the Basque coast, including San Sebastián and fishing villages such as Zumaia; and the Baztán Valley, where students visited the Zugarramurdi caves and toured a small-scale cheese farm in the Pyrenees.

The group also spent a day walking a 13-mile stretch of the Camino de Santiago, following a segment of the French Way from the base of the Pyrenees into central Pamplona.

All coursework, cultural activities and guided tours were conducted in Spanish, giving students opportunities to put their language skills into practice every day.

For Lemuel Dill, a horticulture production and Spanish major from Lenexa, the opportunity to use Spanish outside the classroom was transformative.

"Going to another country and learning the language there is such a valuable experience," Dill said.

The experience helped Dill overcome his initial fear of speaking with native Spanish speakers and gain confidence communicating in everyday situations.

Baron Frye, a civil engineering major and Spanish minor from Kansas City, Missouri, found opportunities to connect his two areas of study.

"I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to build both my Spanish and engineering knowledge when I walked along the medieval walls of Pamplona, learning about their construction and historical impact on the city," Frye said.

Connecting language learning with academic interests

For their K-State credits, advanced students completed individualized research projects centered on interactive, hands-on learning experiences. Intermediate students enrolled in a Spanish culture course that offered similar opportunities for individualized assignments.

Working with Bender, advanced students tailored their research projects to their academic interests and career goals, while intermediate students selected cultural topics that intersected with their majors. These faculty-mentored, student-driven projects, conducted in a Spanish-language immersion environment, distinguished the program from traditional study abroad experiences.

One student majoring in horticulture and Spanish developed interview questions and planned self-guided visits to local garden centers. Through conversations with employees and customers, he explored which plants were most popular, which plants and flowers were associated with different seasons in northern Spain and where garden centers sourced their plants.

Another student majoring in Spanish, microbiology and biochemistry investigated attitudes toward vaccinations in Spain, gathering responses through conversations and QR code surveys with residents in public spaces.

An animal sciences and Spanish major interviewed Pamplona residents about their relationships with their dogs and approaches to animal care, particularly in light of Spain's recent animal sentience law protecting the rights of domestic animals.

The program's interdisciplinary approach gave students opportunities to use Spanish not only as a subject of study but also as a tool for research, learning and communication.

"Immersing myself in Spain helped me grow more confident in my Spanish and taught me how meaningful language can be in connecting with people," said Mary Graeve, an animal sciences industry and Spanish major from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Jack Francis-Cummins, a biology and Spanish major from Parkville, Missouri, emphasized the personal impact of learning through immersion.

"I now have a deeper appreciation for new experiences and meeting new people that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life," Francis-Cummins said.

Building skills beyond the classroom

The combination of language learning, global engagement and faculty-mentored interdisciplinary research reflects the hands-on learning opportunities supported by the Department of Modern Languages, Education Abroad and K-State.

Students from the humanities, health sciences, STEM, agriculture and professional fields connected their Spanish studies to their academic interests and career goals. Through their projects, they used Spanish to conduct research, interact with local communities, explore new perspectives and better understand the cultures and societies connected to their future professions.

Anna Hawk, a psychology and Spanish major from Overland Park, reflected on what makes immersive language learning different from studying a language at home.

"Getting to become fully immersed in a language and culture different from your own pushes you outside of your comfort zone in a way that no experience at home could provide," Hawk said.

Beyond improving her Spanish language skills, Hawk said the experience helped her build lasting friendships.

"I created memories that will last a lifetime alongside a group that started out as predominantly strangers, that now I consider my very dear friends," she said.

Students to showcase research Oct. 28

Several students will share their research through posters or five- to six-minute oral presentations at the "Spain Today: Research & Photography" event from 3-4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in 015 Eisenhower Hall.

Together with Bender, students will highlight how continued language study can intersect with STEM and other academic fields while demonstrating the value of language learning for global citizenship, intercultural competence and professional development.

Students interested in participating in the 2027 program are encouraged to attend.

Plans are underway to offer the six-credit-hour, faculty-led Spain Today program again May 22-June 23, 2027. Intermediate Spanish skills are required, with a prerequisite of SPAN 550 completed by spring 2027 or permission from the instructor.

For more information, contact Bender at rmbender@k-state.edu.