Student pictures and their expectations before the trip

Mary Bauman, Graduate Student, Speech Pathology – Bilingual Track
“I’m from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and graduated from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Speech-Language Pathology and a BA in Spanish. I moved to Fort Worth in August 2006 to attend the graduate program at TCU. I will graduate in May 2008 and plan to work as a bilingual speech-language therapist. I’m hoping to volunteer my time and skills whenever needed while having fun at the same time. Others have told me how beautiful Guanajuato is, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the culture through living with the host families. I love traveling and the Spanish language, and this is an excellent opportunity to enjoy both through service.”




Jacob Block, RTVF
“I’m from an exceedingly normal town in the suburbs, ended up at TCU, and just recently decided I wanted to try and make better use of my time. This is just a start. I’m incredibly excited about the trip. Ready to leave the atmosphere of TCU and be immersed in a vastly different culture. I hope to change, and be changed, and see and entirely different side of things.”






Hunter Shelburne, Political Science and Spanish
“I am a graduating senior, and this is my third Spring Break trip to Guanajuato. I’ve also spend time in Uruguay and Spain studying and working. After graduation, I plan to continue working on sustainable community development projects both in Mexico and the US. I hope this trip is as amazing as the last have been. Each year, we’ve had the opportunity to expand our contacts and program. I hope the trip exposes students to unique life-change experiences and acts as a force of positive change for everyone involved.”




Maggie Thiesen, pre-major
“While I’ve been to Mexico several times, I’ve never really had the chance to get off the beaches and away from the tourist zones. So I’m really excited to experience a different area and culture. I just hope to leave feeling as though I’ve helped the community. I also want to not only see a different culture but also carry the experiences with me.”







Blake Williams, History Grad Student, from Odessa, Texas
“My expectations for this trip are to learn about an aspect of Mexican society you don’t often see. Being in a rural setting, I hope to gain new insights into the essence of Mexican culture and to help make a difference in the community.”