Since its founding in 1962, the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Language (IUHPFL) has enabled thousands of high school students to study abroad in countries where Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish are the primary language. Currently, the program has eight country sites: Austria, Canada, Chile, China, France, Japan, Mexico and Spain. The entire organization is focused around an honor code, which is particularly strict on its promise of total language immersion.

Over the summer, seven students from North participated in IUHPFL. They travelled to Austria, Spain, France, and Japan to improve their language abilities and explore a new culture.

North senior Claudia Gonzalez-Diaz travelled to Oviedo, Spain with IUHPFL. She credits the experience with opening her eyes to other lifestyles.

“I realize that the pace at which Americans live is so unhealthy,” Gonzalez-Diaz said. “It also helped me put into perspective what parts of the American culture are truly absurd.”

Senior Hannah Bentz also participated in IUHPFL over the summer, but, unlike Gonzalez-Diaz, she travelled to Graz, Austria. She comments on the difference between American culture and the culture found in European countries, as well.

“In Austria, life was very slow-paced, whereas life in America is accelerated,” Bentz said. “Spending six weeks abroad taught me how to slow down and focus on the important things in life.”

Both Gonzalez-Diaz and Bentz compliment the program’s school aspect. All IUHPFL students participate in four classes at their host country schools: literature, grammar and conversation, phonetics, and culture. In addition to this weekly schooling, students are also required to use only the target language during their entire time abroad.

“The classes were informing and intensive,” Bentz said. “And taking a culture class while being surrounded by the culture expanded my understanding in ways I never thought possible.”

Gonzalez-Diaz notes the school environment and the instructors as the primary reasons for her success.

“My school experience was really interesting for me because I had never been in that type of learning environment before,” Gonzalez-Diaz said. “And my professors were clearly professionals in their field.”

Margaret Comentale, a North senior, spent her summer studying French with IUHPFL in Saint Brieuc, France. She remembers the program excursion as the highlight of her trip.

“The most memorable part for me was on a class excursion to Normandy,” Comentale said. “We climbed out on the roof to watch the waves. It was so beautiful and so amazing.”

Bentz thanks the program for pushing her limits, especially during the program excursion to Gesäuse National Park.

“I leaped out of my comfort zone in ways I never thought I would have – cliff diving, climbing a twenty foot tall pole and standing on top of it, white water rafting, and hiking in the Alps – all while exercising my proficiency in German,” Bentz said.

Program sizes range from fifteen people to more than thirty. Program participants come from all across Indiana and have a wide array of language abilities. For the Chinese and Japanese programs, participants must have completed their second year of the language, whereas participants in the French, German, and Spanish programs are required to have taken at least three years of the language.

Gonzalez-Diaz believes that, since every group member brought something different to the table, the group dynamics are a crucial piece of the program.

“I was definitely worried about how groups were going to work, but we truly worked together beautifully,” Gonzalez-Diaz said. “I made unique memories with every person in the program.”

Comentale, Gonzalez-Diaz, and Bentz encourage all students to participate in study abroad programs if at all possible.

“Furthering your understanding to global terms is so important. There is so much out there, and to limit oneself is foolish,” Bentz said. “The world has so much to offer educationally and culturally. I am forever grateful for my experience with IUHPFL.”

Comentale agrees with Bentz on the life-changing nature of the program.

“Exchange programs are so important because they allow students to get a new perspective on life,” Comentale said. “The experience was life-changing, and I learned so much about myself while studying abroad.”

The program duration is roughly six weeks, and participants depart in June and return in July.

Gonzalez-Diaz remembers having concerns when applying to the program, but having now completed it, she brushes that away.

“I would encourage everyone to push themselves outside of their comfort zones and to be open to more fulfilling experiences,” Gonzalez-Diaz said.

Registration for IUHPFL opens on Sept. 15 and closes on Oct. 15. To learn more, or to register for IUHPFL 2019, click here.