Several WNMU students are enjoying the opportunity to study abroad this year. The university’s study abroad program offers opportunities for students to study a variety of subjects in countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica and Spain.
One student who has recently returned from studying in Mexico, Solomon Lazzell, said the program he was in was challenging but rewarding. At WNMU, Lazzell is studying nursing, but at Anáhuac University Cancún, he was in a medicine program. “It was a lot more difficult because I was dropped into a program for medicine students,” he said. “That was very difficult. I had to work really hard to catch up.”
Lazzell said that while the experience was challenging academically, it was enjoyable to have the opportunity to practice conversation. “I had a roommate who was from Peru, and he only spoke Spanish,” he explained, “so I was really pushing myself out of my comfort zone—trying to communicate with people that I would not otherwise be able to communicate with if I did not speak Spanish.”
A desire to get out of his comfort zone was exactly what prompted Lazzell to pursue studying abroad. “I have lived in Silver [City] my whole life, so I just wanted to get out a little, and I think this was a good first step to doing that,” he said.
Two other students will be studying in Spain over the summer. Itzela Darkenwald (BS ’24) is traveling to Madrid for a six-week long Spanish language immersion program. She will be staying with a family that her father stayed with when he was an exchange student as a young man. “I know they are excited to host me, and I can’t wait for the experience,” she said.
Isabella Medina, a nursing major, will be studying health sciences at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in Gallicia, Spain. Medina said she chose the program “because I thought it was a great opportunity to improve my communication skills in the medical and health care field. As well as getting clinical experience and learning how the public health care system works in Spain.”
Medina said comparing health care systems is of particular interest to her. “I am looking forward to getting to work in a real hospital and helping patients, and learning how the Spanish health care system might differ to the American health care system,” she said. “I am also really excited to have the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and be able to step out of my comfort zone and embrace this upcoming journey.”
Lazzell said that the kind of immersive experience you get from studying abroad is beneficial in numerous ways—from broadening language skills to learning about cultures to pushing oneself to grow and adapt. “There are so many little things that you learn that you would not find from just studying” a language, he said. “You have to go there and experience it.”
Any current or prospective student interested in learning more about study abroad opportunities through WNMU may contact Janine Sohler, External Affairs Coordinator, at 575-538-6440 or janine.sohler@wnmu.edu.