Hi everyone! My name is Sarah Creveling, and I am a rising senior. I am a Biology major with Chemistry and Spanish minors, pursuing the CFM certificate. I am on the Pre-PA track and plan to apply to PA schools in the final months of my senior year. My involvement at Pitt extends to Pitt Dance Marathon, club water polo, and Rho Psi Eta (a pre-health sorority). This June, I will be studying abroad in Granada, Spain!

I have been studying Spanish since 8th grade, but anyone that is learning a language can tell you that it is not easy. With no Spanish-speaking family members or friends, I struggle to find opportunities to practice Spanish outside my classes at Pitt. In Mexico with my family, I cowered at the thought of speaking to the locals, and unfortunately did the same thing in Puerto Rico over Spring break (it’s hard to get over the embarrassment!). Instead of continuing this cycle, I made the decision to study abroad and stay with a host family. My research began during the winter, and I eventually found the perfect program for me – ISA’s Spanish Language and Culture program in Granada. This program will allow me to take 2 classes that cover both my general education requirements and electives for my Spanish minor. Alongside my classes, I will get to explore Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Almuñecar, and most importantly, Granada.

As I prepare to leave for Spain on Wednesday night, I have been reflecting on my goals for this program and what I want to learn about myself in the process. For one, I want to get over the feelings of hesitation and self-consciousness that come with speaking my non-native language. I hope that my confidence can increase as I use Spanish in new situations, and that I can extend this new knowledge to use with my patients in the future. My biggest goal for the future is to make my patients feel cared for; speaking to them in their first language is one of the many things that will allow my patients to feel respected and heard. Alongside language learning and usage, I am aiming to feel more comfortable traveling and navigating new cities by myself. I have never been to Europe, let alone with a bunch of people that I have never met before. By not being with Pitt students, I want to push myself to be more extroverted and make new friends as well!