The foreign language requirement is not a new concept to Wellesley students; students have been required to fulfill two years’ worth of a language for decades now, either through demonstrating fluency coming in, working on fluency in a language studied previously, or starting a new language altogether. However, while learning in a classroom is a common way to fulfill your requirements, Wellesley also offers opportunities for language-learning students to immerse themselves fully in their respective language-speaking cultures. 

Osman and Jaiyeola both felt an instant connection with the Arabic department and language when they began learning it last year. 

Osman took her first Middle Eastern Studies class last spring with Professor Marlow, which fueled her interest in getting more involved with Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. While she speaks a specific dialect of Arabic at home, Osman says the opportunity to learn formal Arabic, or Fusha, was important to her. 

Jaiyeola took her first Arabic class her freshman fall, crediting Professor Aadnani as a huge help in figuring out her language requirements. She said he, along with the other professors in the Arabic department, work to make learning enjoyable and reduce the stress that comes with learning a new language. 

“I love the Arabic department … I think that they work really hard to make learning enjoyable…sometimes it’s challenging when it’s a really difficult language to learn, but while in class, I never feel like I’m struggling because I can always ask for help,” said Jaiyeola. 

They both love Arabic so much that they ended up working towards an informal minor in Arabic. That passion they have for Arabic propelled them to apply for the Wintersession program in Morocco through the MES 270 course. 

The program is designed to immerse students in Moroccan Arabic and Moroccan culture — from living with host families to visiting cities all over the country.

Undoubtedly, the program boosted their Arabic study as students stayed with host families who made them meals, took them around the area, and spoke to them in Arabic.  More than that, they gained an understanding of the beauty of Moroccan culture.

“We went to a lot of the different cities, and we got tours of them all. We learned a lot about the communities within not just the touristy stuff, but about what the people in these areas live like.” Osman said. 

Osman and Jaiyeola both mentioned how good their host families were. Jaiyeola pointed out how she continues to speak with her host mother, and had been texting with her the day before our conversation.

“I think that it’s very beautiful the way that the families interact with each other, but also working to like, make us feel included as well,” she said.

To Osman, eating dinner with the families every night made her feel at home as well as conversations and activities with her siblings. Both got to travel with families around the city and to malls and the beach; it made Osman and Jaiyeola feel like they were a part of the community. More than that, they said that people in Morocco were nothing but supportive of them learning Arabic. 

“Even shop sellers, if you could speak Arabic, they were extremely proud of you. And it’s like, I don’t even know you, but that’s very sweet. And sometimes they give you advice on how to get prices down when you’re talking to other sellers.” Jaiyeola said. 

Even though dialects of Arabic made it harder to communicate, they felt encouraged to try new words and phrases that they didn’t learn in class.

They left the Wintersession feeling not only more confident in their Arabic skills but also with a new understanding and appreciation of Moroccan culture. They recommend that Arabic students take the program and agree that the department is really experienced with keeping students safe while giving them new opportunities. 

Jaiyeola ended her interview with some advice for Wintersession abroad: “Maximize the amount of time that you have there, like, take advantage of everything. Just allow yourself to feel uncomfortable in the moment and then try something new. I think that anybody that goes would benefit from it a lot.” 

Osman agreed, and then offered perhaps the most important piece of advice: “Come with your bargaining skills ready.” Hopefully, Arabic students at the next Wintersession will take that to heart.

Image credit: Aayah Osman

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Hira Khan

According to the Wellesley Office of International Study, reasons behind the cancellation include “[t]he administrative model for the program”, which “was very complex, with legal and financial oversight posing a heavy burden to small finance and legal teams at Wellesley and Smith – for a relatively small number of students”.

The explanation echoes an email sent to students in the Spanish department, which stated that “the US administration feels that it is straining their resources to support a study abroad program.”

It also told students that such strains on the US side include financial, risk management and human resources components.

Speaking about their experiences with the program, former participants Maya Hart ’25 and Emily Rosado ’25 highlighted how welcoming their host families were. Hart called it a “home away from home.” 

“I genuinely felt like I became part of the family,” Rosado stated. 

Both also mentioned the cultural excursions to other parts of Spain and a stipend for experiences as contributing to the feeling of immersion. 

Additionally, neither noted a stressor from COVID-19 impacting their experiences or much of a feeling of a financial strain on Wellesley. Like other former students, Rosado was surprised by the program ending.

“We were all genuinely very shocked to hear the news,” Rosado said. 

Svetlana Greene ’26, a student who will be participating in PRESHCO next semester, echoed her surprise and the lack of issues with the program apparent to her. 

She expressed disappointment with the end of the PRESHCO partnership: “It’s one of the best programs for Spanish immersion for non-native speakers.”

Given the recent nature of the cancellation, students, faculty and administrators are still figuring out what programs will replace PRESHCO in the future. 

Although students will be able to participate this summer, after that programs such as Middlebury Schools Abroad will be a likely choice.

 The Middlebury Schools program, however, is not available to sophomores, which may lead younger students to seek other options.

In the email announcing the cancellation of the program, the Spanish department also expressed their hope to “[work] with [Cordoba] University to see if there are any possibilities to continue to work together.”

If students have any questions about the PRESHCO Program’s cancellation or their options for studying abroad, they are encouraged to contact the Spanish department or the Office of International Study.

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Valida Pau, Galeta Sandercock

Cynthia Gomez ’24 (she/her/hers)

Studying in Córdoba, Spain as part of PRESHCO (Programa de Estudios Hispánicos en Córdoba.) 

“One of the classes I’m taking is archaeology. I really like it because we get to go on excursions and we get the opportunity to see Roman ruins … There is this one store that I go to here called Bershka and our professor once said ‘hey, let’s go to Bershka,’ and we asked, ‘are you gonna go shopping?’ And they said ‘No, there’s ruins down there.’  It’s crazy because there’s definitely a lot of history here. There are ruins everywhere but people wouldn’t even know about it unless they are an archaeology major or something. And I am majoring in Biology so this was really interesting to me.”

Isabel (Isa) Martinez ’24 (she/her/hers) 

Studying in Bologna, Italy 

“The way that university works in Italy is very different because … it’s not really a four year program, it’s however long it takes you to finish your classes, which for someone, could be three and for others, it could be seven. It really depends on what their lifestyle is and how many classes they want to take. Whatever your program is, it has different requirements, so there’s a lot of people of different ages taking classes and they’re really big classes in auditoriums. It is very different from Wellesley and I wanted to have a different experience outside of Wellesley for my college experience.

“My favorite part [about the program] so far is the balance of social life and academics because at Wellesley, I feel our student life is very academically focused and then everything else is kind of on the side. But in this program, it is very much about your social life, and your interests are kind of centered around it … I definitely spend a lot of time with my friends like going out to dinner, going out to bars. We also spend time together studying, but I think it’s just a much healthier work life balance, and the people in the program are awesome. There’s about 24 of us and we all get along really well.”

Izzy Liu ’24 (she/her/hers) 

Studying at Oxford University 

“What is great about the visiting student program at Oxford is that it’s very intercollegiate because while we apply to particular colleges under University of Oxford, we’re all cross connected amongst each other … We take classes with people at Hartford College that come from different universities apart from Wellesley, and we’ve all become really close friends. So we’ve developed not only a social network but a network that allows us to ask questions and answer them. So you can get to know what’s up with the social calendar that week or how to pick up your mail or go about shipping something to myself.

“In addition, the support system at Oxford is great. They are really dedicated to making our stay as smooth and comfortable as possible, whether that is the visiting student director or what’s called the Porter’s Lodge which is sort of like the front desk equivalent of a hotel to answer any questions you might have.”

“I had been online for the past two years and I was ready to get out and do things,” Kronick said. 

Maya Cowan ’25, who was also in Athens this fall, felt the need to explore the world.
“I wanted to prioritize studying abroad,” Cowan said. “I had never left the country before this experience.” 

Both students described their time abroad as an invaluable experience that prepared them for Wellesley both academically and socially 

“I got to relearn my study habits; it was a very nice ease-in,” Kronick said. 

Cowan found the experience to be one of self-discovery: “I got to recognize myself in this independent position and I left with a greater sense of self,” 

Throughout their time in Athens the students had to plan, shop and cook for most of their own meals. Arriving on campus meant a few less living responsibilities to juggle, which alleviated a lot of stress for Cowan.. 

Both students remarked on the extreme difference in the climate being a major adjustment factor in their transition to campus. Louisiana native Kronick said she was “blown away by the blizzard.” 

Despite the change, Cowan found comfort in the commonalities between Athens and Wellesley.

“There’s a stark difference between the center of Athens and the quaint town of Wellesley. But it [Wellesley] shares similarities with Athens,” Cowan said. “The national gardens were very serene, and you can find that nature and serenity here on campus, it’s very peaceful.” 

The semester-abroad students were not left to navigate the change alone; they had their own on-campus orientation back in August, and another round in January. 

“We’ve been made very aware of our resources here so we can have a smooth transition back into school,” Cowan said. 

Both students found the change from being surrounded by a group of 16 to the full Wellesley student body to be the most challenging part of their transition. Kronick felt lucky with her roommate but described making new friends as having a steeper learning curve. 

“It’s a struggle, going from a small group who knows each other, but coming to campus I’ve been meeting new people and learning to communicate, and my roommate has been introducing me to people,” Kronick said. 

When reflecting on her Fall semester, Cowan had nothing but glowing reviews of the experience, but was excited to finally experience life on Wellesley campus.

“We’ve left that chaos behind for a more organized insanity,” Cowan said.