For students and families interested, Bellaire hosted their annual Study Abroad informational meeting in the auditorium at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11.

Organizations such as Amigos, Rotary Youth Exchange and Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) each had representatives present their study abroad opportunities. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors have the chance to study abroad through these programs.

Sophomore and CIEE alumni Lucie Lamothe traveled to Madrid, Spain through the Honors Spanish Language and Culture program.

“I gained a lot of insight about the world,” Lamothe said. “I loved how I got the opportunity to explore the area myself and learn about the culture they had there. My favorite memory was going to Valencia, which is another city in Spain, and they had a beach there. It was very fun because my friends and I got to connect.”

Summer Abroad, Semester Abroad, Gap Year Abroad and First Year Abroad are each programs that CIEE offers to high schoolers and incoming college students. According to CIEE, The Summer Abroad option is the most popular for high school students, only lasting 3-4 weeks.

Language classes, practicing in the community, cultural activities and homestay connections are aspects of the program provided by CIEE. The organization awards both academic and financial need-based scholarships. Bellaire provided $34,195 to 19 students who traveled this past summer. The deadline to apply for a scholarship this year is Jan. 21.

“I also liked having the opportunity to make a lot of new friends and improve my communication,” Lamothe said. “Socializing and trying new foods was very insightful for me.”

Senior Mia Nelson also studied abroad through CIEE, but instead she traveled to Shanghai, China as part of the Chinese Language and Culture Program. Rather than sharing her experience in the auditorium, she spoke with students at the CIEE informational table outside the auditorium following the presentation.

“I was able to be in a new country and be independent,” Nelson said. “I enriched myself in the culture and became more proficient in the language through the program. It was great being in a new place and getting to learn how the world is different in other places.”

Rotary Youth Exchange alumna and senior Melody Cruz-Ayala studied abroad in Flensburg, Germany, during the last academic year. Although she was initially scheduled to study in the Netherlands, she later switched to Germany—her fifth choice—after the exchange student assigned to the Netherlands was unable to travel to the United States.

“The program definitely leaves a mark,” Cruz-Ayala said. “I realized that the people around you are living their lives completely differently. We’re always thinking about ourselves, and I was able to realize that everyone else has their own daily lives, families and friends.”

Cruz-Ayala spent her entire junior year abroad, and had her academic credits transferred from Flensburg to Bellaire.

“You get all these different perspectives and different ideas,” Cruz-Ayala said. “It’s really bittersweet because I know I’m not going to be staying there, but maybe I’ll go back.”

For more information about study abroad opportunities, visit Elizabeth Chapman in Room 2712 or email her at [email protected].