Travel Scholarship Candidates
View the profiles of all our approved entrants below. Read a little about each applicant and listen to them perform a Spanish or Portuguese tongue-twister of their choice. When you are ready, cast your vote on your favourite candidate and help them to win our $3,000 USD Travel Scholarship, so they can take the trip of a lifetime to Latin America!
Upon casting your vote, we will give you the opportunity to answer some Spanish or Portuguese language questions. Answer these questions correctly and your vote will count as double!
The top 3 candidates with the most votes will reach the final. A panel of language experts will then judge the winner!
The scholarship has been rescheduled for 2022 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. New deadline to be announced.
Ryan Barnes
17 years old
Penn State
“: My name is Ryan Kobe Barnes. I am a senior at Sandy Spring Friends School, a school in Maryland. I have been learning Spanish since first grade. I love the Spanish language and the culture around it. I want to continue to study Spanish in college ; my dream is to one day be bilingual. Hopefully this opportunity allows me to further pursue my dream of becoming bilingual. ”
158 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Selina Asefaw
21 years old
Georgia State University
“ I am intermediate in my Spanish speaking, writing, and reading but I have yet to have an immersive experience! I hope to work in developing countries and communities in Latin America and I want to perfect my Spanish for this reason ”
129 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Meg Leu
22 years old
The College of William & Mary
“ I'm a double major in Spanish and History. I study dictatorships, state repression, and memory work in Latin America, and I would love the opportunity to visit some of the countries I've been studying in my classes. If I won this scholarship, I would take the chance to work with some of human rights organizations in person and develop my understanding of these places. ”
104 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Langdon Cloyd
17 years old
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
“ I met a girl from Spain and she made me love Spanish language even more ”
101 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Leslie O'Donoghue
25 years old
University of North Carolina
“I'm a Chemistry student at NC University. I am also a passionate reader in love with some of the most important Latin American writers, that's the reason why I decided to learn Spanish. ”
100 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Gaetan Lewis
23 years old
Stockton University
“My name is Gaetan and I'm a 23-year-old Business student at Stockton University. I'm mainly interested in Tourism and Event management. Therefore, to communicate with my future clients abroad, I'm interested in learning different languages. Currently, I'm focused on learning Spanish ”
99 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Grace Ma
27 years old
Santa Clara University
“I have always loved Latin America/ Spanish culture. I majored in Spanish in college for two years but it didn’t go as well as I hoped. I used to live in California and I got a lot of amazing friends who are from a Hispanic background. I would love to take this opportunity to really get to know the culture better. I speak Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. As a language teacher, I understand how immersing yourself in another culture can foster language learning. I remember when I went to Barcelona and Marbella, even though I could only speak half-decent Spanish, the locals really appreciated the effort I put in. Traveling to a foreign country while speaking the local language gives you a whole new amazing experience. I would like to experience that when going to Latin America. ”
84 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Corinne Martin
24 years old
The University of Virginia
“Hi! I'm Corinne and I'm an Undergraduate Architecture student at the University of Virginia. Every time I travel, I choose my destinations based on my passions, Architecture and History. I want to be able to fully understand the stories behind the most important pre-Columbian temples in Central America as told by locals. That's why I've been studying Spanish for the past 4 months and decided to apply for this Scholarship. ”
83 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
James Haisley
23 years old
University of Indianapolis
“My name is James and I'm an International Relations student at the University of Indianapolis. I've always enjoyed learning about and discussing international politics and wish to work for the government of a foreign country. I'm currently taking Spanish lessons. ”
80 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Anindita Kundu
19 years old
Drexel University
“Throughout high school and now in college, people assume that I am Hispanic from my looks and approach me speaking Spanish. My best friends speak Spanish and whenever I hang out with them, people start to converse with me in Spanish while I stare at them in confusion. I love to learn new languages. I can speak English, Bangla, Hindi, and Chinese. Adding one more language to the list would help me in my career field as well since I am majoring in International Business. Communication is key is the most important rule in my book. Being able to learn Spanish would open up my ability to explore a new culture and communicate with others who speak the language and broaden my connections. ”
75 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Annika Echols
17 years old
Northwestern University
“I am pursuing a major in Spanish at Northwestern University, and I hope to use this knowledge to help others as an immigration lawyer ”
60 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Alexis Brown
18 years old
Millsaps College
“I would like to learn Spanish because the language and culture have always fascinated me. Also, my boyfriend is Mexican and, almost, none of his immediate family speaks English. I would like to have conversations with his mother and father without struggling. ”
45 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Jade Buker
19 years old
Liberty University
“My name is Jade Buker and I'm a 3rd year at Liberty University studying Spanish Education! I have always had a passion for Spanish speaking countries seeing as though I was raised in a multicultural household. My professional goal with this scholarship is to invest my time and effort in Ecuador to fall in love with as many people groups as I can fathom. If I win this scholarship, I can promise to create a global awareness culture in all students in my classroom! ”
7 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Samantha Swingler
31 years old
UMBC
“When I was a kid, I traveled with my family to Guatemala. I remember very specific things about the land, people, and experiences while visiting. I remember the water shooting up from underneath the boat as we were ferried across. I remember dancing with a friendly elderly gentleman and acquaintance of the family who proceeded to place a red rose in my hair (even though I removed it several times lol). I remember getting the runs due to my body not being that familiar with certain foods and liquids native to the area. All in all, I remember wishing I remembered more, stayed longer, and experienced all that country had to offer. I am returning to school in the fall 2021, for a double degree in Media & Communications and Graphic Design. ”
0 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!
Isabella Garofalo
years old
University of Pittsburgh Greensburg
“ ¡Hola! ¿Cómo está? Estoy bien, pero nerviosa un poco. Me llamo Isabella Garofalo y tengo diez y ocho años. Yo estudié español por cuatro años. Cuando me graduo de la universidad, soy una maestra de español. Durante universidad, yo quiero viajar a los país en la América del Sur. Los país son Ecuador, Argentina, y Brasil. Yo quiero viajar estos país porque mi maestro de español viajaba a Ecuador, la cultura en Argentina es muy preciosa, y yo quiero conocer los pueblos indígenas en Brasil. Yo espero el viaje a los país ayudarse aprender español y sobre el gente mejor. Yo quiero aprender español porque español es el primero idioma extranjero me interesaba. ”
0 votes Listen to my tongue-twister Help me win, share my profile! VOTE for me!