Hello, my name is Sawyer Edwards! I am an A-Honor Roll student 17-year-old junior at New Prairie High School with a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.230. I have taken courses in the Spanish language since preschool, and last winter I was presented with an opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream of studying abroad. This summer, through Indiana University’s Honors Program in Foreign Languages, I have been accepted to spend six weeks in Spain.

The selection process for the program is quite involved, and I’m very proud to have been invited to participate. My acceptance was based on strong overall academic standing and high performance in Spanish, excellent appraisals from two of my teachers and my boss of three years, a writing sample in Spanish, and an extensive personal application. Upon reviewing my entire application, the IUHPFL Selection Committee chose me as one of the less than 300 Indiana high school students to participate this summer!

During my 6 weeks abroad, I will attend daily classes in grammar, culture, literature, phonetics, and conversation. In the afternoon, I will participate in planned activities such as theater, singing, dance, and sports. In addition to my coursework and excursions to historical sites, I will live with a host family and learn more about the language and culture from them. I will be completely immersed in Spanish, as the IUHPFL Language Commitment requires me to speak Spanish exclusively for the duration of the program.

Attending this program would be life-altering, allowing me the opportunity to make unique life-long friends and further skills essential to my future career. After I return, I plan to continue my studies in the Spanish language and culture. I have committed to sharing my IUHPFL experience with the students and teachers at my school. I will also help and encourage my fellow students in their language studies.

My immediate family and I are currently saving as much money as we can to put toward the cost, but we would still immensely value your help. Any donation of any amount from you would be an amazing help, and I could not be any more appreciative!

Check out the links below for more information about the program. Attached is my official acceptance letter if you wish to view it. If any of you have any questions please feel free to privately message me. THANK YOU all so much for your time and consideration!

To learn more about IUHPFL, visit https://hpfl.webtest.iu.edu/index.html.