About Cori's Blog "Experiencias en Salamanca"

Just a little over a year ago, I learned the exciting news that I had been selected as the Ambassadorial Scholar for Rotary District 7120 for the 2009-2010 academic year. For those of you who are not familiar with the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, the following is a little bit of information I got right from the official Rotary International website, www.rotary.org:

The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarship is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.


In my case, my host city and country is Salamanca, Spain and I am going to be a graduate student at la Universidad de Salamanca. At the university I will be studying in the Masters program called "Enseñanza de español como lengua extranjera" or Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language.

Since graduating from Nazareth College in May of 2008, I have completed my first year of professional life as a middle school Spanish teacher at the Greece Central School District and I have started my Masters Degree in Bilingual Education at SUNY Brockport. Although I know that pursuing this scholarship does mean putting all of this on hold, I am confident that my experiences throughout this next year will be well worth it in the end. I am so excited to see what Salamanca has in store for me, and also, to be able to share my experiences with all of you here-- Enjoy! :)