Much of what Nicole Aronski ’07 has learned at St. Lawrence has come from her experiences abroad.

Spanish was a strength of Nicole’s at Fayetteville-Manlius  High School in Fayetteville, N.Y.  When Nicole came to St. Lawrence, she knew she wanted to travel abroad.  “I wanted to be able to practice and improve my Spanish,” she explains.  “I wanted to do that by being abroad and living in Spain where I knew I’d be surrounded by culture and traditions.”

Nicole, a Spanish and global studies double major and Caribbean and Latin American studies minor, studied on St. Lawrence’s program Spain for her sophomore year.  “I learned a lot about myself while abroad,” she says.  “I learned to be open-minded and to be more independent.  Going abroad pushed me to be motivated about learning Spanish.
 
“After Spain I wanted to see the Latin and Hispanic side of Spanish culture,” she says. She had her opportunity in spring 2006, when she and three other students went with Assistant Professor of Global Studies Martha Chew-Sanchez to the U.S.- Mexican border over Spring Break. “Before we went there, our class time was very focused on the history of Mexico and the border,” she says. “We learned about border issues such as immigration, drug smuggling, and transnational industries that affect everyday life at the border.  The background information helped us understand what we were going to see, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing it all first-hand.” 

Nicole is taking one more study trip abroad in the spring—to Costa Rica—before graduating in May.  After graduation, she plans on getting a master’s degree in Spanish and teaching, then possibly working with a non-government institution or an international business where she can use her skills.  “Coming back from being abroad, I can see that I am able to teach others what I know and what I’ve learned, and that’s something I truly enjoy doing,” she says.