Becoming fluent in a language is something that requires lots of study and practice. There is no better way to practice than to be immersed in the language. For a student who is serious about fluency, one of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to study abroad. The list below includes rigorous college level for credit options as well as options for high schoolers and middle schoolers.

1. Veritas Christian Study Abroad works with students to provide college level study abroad opportunities in combination with missions work. They offer options to places like Brazil, Czech Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Italy, Peru, South Korea, and Spain. Their programs range in duration from four weeks to an entire semester.
2. CRU is a part of Campus Crusade for Christ. They can help you coordinate your missions experience while studying in countries on just about every continent. Most of their programs last one semester, but there are some options for year-long and summer programs as well.
3. BestSemester works with certain colleges and universities to help students choose a study abroad program that best suits their needs. They work in conjunction with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and offer semester-long trips to Costa Rica and several other countries.

While not a study abroad program, Excelsior Classes offers an educational missions trip to Germany, and more may be coming in the future! Please contact susangleason@excelsiorclasses.com if you’re interested in the trip to Germany.

Becoming fluent in a new language is not the only advantage to studying abroad. Being able to navigate in a different culture is certainly a valuable life lesson for young people to develop. Employers will almost certainly look favorably on the resume of a potential employee that includes academic studies abroad. For students who are not afraid of a challenge, these types of programs can offer a worthwhile learning experience.

About the Author

Diana Lamolinara is a native speaker of Spanish who has lived in the Spanish-speaking countries of Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Spain. She also lived several years in Italy, where she studied Italian.  Mrs. Lamolinara has a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Foreign Language Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. Diana has been teaching Spanish to students at all levels from Pre School to AP for over 25 years.  She is a former homeschooling mom. In addition to teaching, Diana enjoys reading, exercising, cooking and taking long walks with her dog in the woods.  The Lord has blessed Diana and her husband with four children and three grandchildren.