TROY – Two Troy University students are the first participants in the University’s study-abroad program at Estema University in Valencia, Spain.

The students, Caroline Kearney of Huntsville and Robert Kelly of Troy, will spend spring semester at Estema, according to Dr. Ken Labrant, associate professor of Spanish at Troy University.

Kearney and Kelly will stay with a host family in Valencia for the semester. Both students said full-time exposure to Spanish culture will help them improve their language skills.

“Our host family will speak English but I will immerse myself in the Spanish language and try to speak it all the time,” Kearney, a senior political science major, said. “I want to become fluent in one language first and maybe learn other languages later.”

Kelly, a sophomore with a double major in Spanish and international business, said he is looking forward to the opportunities provided by the study-abroad experience.

“I really want to experience another culture,” he said. “I like going to new places and experiencing new things,. I am planning to visit Prague and Ireland while I’m over there, too.”

This is Kelly’s second trip to Europe; Kearney’s first. She is looking forward to touring the continent on weekends and holidays.

“This is something I have always wanted to do,” she said. “When I saw the opportunity I jumped at the chance to study abroad.”

Both Kearney and Kelly said taking courses in another language will be the most challenging part of the experience, although Kelly said living down the stereotype that some Europeans have about U.S. citizens also poses a challenge.

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