Bethlehem Central High School junior Tyler Ilardi is headed to the birthplace of the Spanish language, Salamanca, Spain, this summer.
One of fewer than 20 students nationwide, Ilardi has been awarded the National Spanish Exam (NSE) Junior Travel Abroad Scholarship. Through the program, Ilardi will study at the University of Salamanca with native Spanish speakers while fully immersed in the language and culture, an experience he said he expects will accelerate his learning.
“I think it’ll create an immersive situation that will force improvement in my Spanish skills, even if it makes me feel a little insecure at first,” he said.
Ilardi said his interest in Spanish began as an academic challenge and quickly grew into something more engaging.
“Starting in ninth grade, it became almost a sort of puzzle or game to understand what I was being presented with in Spanish, and I found it very rewarding,” he said. “After I started focusing harder on learning the language in tenth grade, going back to the National Spanish Exam was something I did mainly because I didn’t see a reason not to.”
Ilardi is also looking forward to connecting with fellow students from diverse backgrounds.
“I’m honestly really excited to meet the people who will also be going,” said Ilardi. “I’ll get to meet people from various backgrounds with different perspectives while still having a common interest in the study of Spanish. It will be fun getting to know and hang out with them. I think it will be very memorable.”
Beyond academics, Ilardi is eager to experience everyday cultural differences firsthand.
“For me, it’s the small things that seem interesting,” he said. “I want to see how smaller things like social norms and interpersonal dynamics change between cultures. It’s the kind of thing that you can learn in a classroom but maybe not fully understand until you experience it for yourself.”
Ilardi said he hopes to use his language skills to make a meaningful impact in his community.
“I plan to use this experience and my general Spanish skills to bridge linguistic gaps in my place of work and community,” said Ilardi. “I believe there is value in human connection and that the better we can bridge these gaps, the better we’ll be because we’ll have more experiences to learn from.”
The Junior Travel Abroad Scholarship is awarded annually to high-achieving students who demonstrate excellence in Spanish language study and a commitment to cultural understanding.
¡Felicidades, Tyler!