A Coastal Carolina University student and recent graduate have gained acceptance into an international program that will take them to Spain as teaching assistants and cultural ambassadors. Alexia Pistachio-Carrasquillo, a senior marine science major and biology minor who will graduate in August, and Logan Bellos, who earned a bachelor’s degree in languages and intercultural studies in May 2023, will participate in the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP) during the 2023-24 academic year, with a potential option to extend the appointment. NALCAP is a public diplomacy program sponsored by the Embassy of Spain’s Education Office. It places American college students and recent graduates in schools throughout Spain to advance language learning and mutual understanding through cultural exchange.

This year, the Embassy of Spain partnered with Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, to offer priority consideration to NALCAP applicants who are members of the honors society. CCU established a chapter of Sigma Delta Pi in November 2022, and Bellos is a member. At least three CCU alumni have participated in the program in the past: Kevlyn Lewis, a 2022 graduate, spent one academic year in Menorca and extended the appointment; she will spend the upcoming academic year in Mallorca. John Lovecchio, a 2022 graduate, spent one academic year in Madrid, and Eden Bauer, a 2019 graduate, spent one and a half years in Malaga, before the COVID-19 pandemic cut short her appointment.

Bárbara Gasquet Carrera, senior lecturer of Spanish in CCU’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, is an advocate for NALCAP, having supported students through the application process in the past several years. She regularly shares news of the NALCAP opportunity with students in her classes and, in her Spanish conversation course, arranges in-class Zoom meetings with NALCAP student alumni.

“The fact that the program requires that students be in their final year or just graduated means they can go share what they’ve learned with a different culture, so we can see outside our bubble,” said Gasquet Carrera. “It works for the students who travel to Spain but also those they work with – elementary through high school students. It’s a very enriching experience for anybody; it’s a great introduction to the world.”

Edurne Beltrán de Heredia Carmona, assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, serves as faculty advisor to Sigma Delta Pi and supports students in their NALCAP application processes.

“We spread news of the program through Sigma Delta Pi,” said Beltran de Heredia Carmona. “We know it’s enriching. The participants are actually immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment, and it’s also a professional environment. For some of them, it’s their first job.”

Both Gasquet Carrera and Beltran de Heredia Carmona emphasized the benefits of the program and the positive experiences of all students they’ve mentored.

“It helps students and young graduates see the world differently,” said Gasquet Carrera.