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Click here to follow the students on the trip to Paris on the UTB/TSC Study Abroad program blog
Click here to follow the students on their trip to Spain on their blog.
Click here : Leaving on a jet plane to Paris.
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Students Leave for Europe to Study Abroad
BROWNSVILLE, TX - JULY 15, 2009 -More than 30 students in the Study Aboard program at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College are traveling to Europe this summer to study.
Twenty students will travel to Spain Wednesday July 15 to study literature, translation and Hispanic civilization. 
In Spain, students will study in Valladolid, Madrid. They will travel to the cities of Toledo, Segovia, Burgos and tour El Prado Museum, Christopher Columbus’ House, Cervantes’ House, and the “Museum of Wine” located in the Medieval castle of Peñafiel.
“Our world today is greatly globalized,” said Dr. José Dávila-Montes, Assistant Professor of Translation and Interpreting and Director of the Translation and Interpreting Office, who will be teaching students in Spain. “Learning to overcome cultural shocks and being able to move freely in a foreign environment is already a must in the professional world. Students that master two or more languages and add them to their professional skills are bound to have an edge in tomorrow’s market.”
Another group of students is in Paris France for three weeks taking courses in grammar and composition from Dr. Suzanne LaLonde-Romano, professor and director of the UTB/TSC Office of Study Abroad Programs. They are also visiting historic French sites and monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower, and museums including the Louvre.
Since 2006, the Study Abroad Program at UTB/TSC has provided students with the opportunity to learn and travel to places like Paris, Berlin and Barcelona.
Eva Salazar took French in high school and at the university. She heard about the study abroad program from her professor who had traveled to France.
”I stared saving money, having garage sales and I was able to get $800 from the Dr. Pierce Endowment.“ said Salazar. “I am getting college credit and this is an opportunity that my family never had so I feel blessed to take this trip.”
Family and friends established the Dr. Walter Pierce Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment to honor of Pierce, a beloved professor at UTB/TSC. In 1997, he died of a heart attack at the age of 51.
Pierce is remembered for the trips he would organize to expose students to history and different cultures.
“A lot of students would like to travel and learn other cultures and this scholarship helps. It helped me otherwise I would not be going on this trip, “said Mariana Cantu. “I chose to go to France because of the language. I speak Spanish and I wanted something more challenging.”
Paula Vallejo worked and sold cheesecakes and flan to cover the expenses for her first trip abroad.
“I got burned sometimes but it was worth it,” said Vallejo as she proudly showed off her burn mark on her arm. “I am going to take composition and grammar classes because one day I want to be able to teach French.”
A group of students traveled in May to Berlin, Germany with Dr. Angelica Soldan to study German government and political science.
For more information, contact the Office of the UTB/TSC Study Abroad Programs at (956) 882-7450