Aiden Andrews is traveling to Oviedo, Spain with IUHPFL this summer and is excited to experience a new culture, practice his language, and live in an entirely different country. Aiden’s mom, Tracy Campbell, is also excited for Aiden’s travels, and, unlike other parents, she knows exactly what to expect. Tracy also participated in IUHPFL, traveling to Krefeld, Germany in 1991. Tracy’s experience abroad influenced her life from her college major to her outlook on travel, and it has also made an impression on her son.
Tracy attended South Central High School in Union Mills, Indiana, a community east of Valparaiso. Before her time abroad in Krefeld, Tracy had not been outside of the United States. She remembers fondly the many cultural experiences she had while in Germany. “We had to go to dance lessons, and it was a blast!” Tracy’s Krefeld group also went to sporting events and even traveled to Paris from Germany. Tracy also remembers that her host family worked in the city center in Krefeld, and so she spent time exploring the markets in the area.
Speaking German in all contexts could be a bit of challenge, though. For example, Tracy had to go to the eye doctor and struggled with the medical vocabulary not taught in school. Her group also coined the term “Hoosier-Deutsch”, referring to words and phrases that weren’t quite the correct German translations of English words.
After graduating from South Central, Tracy attended Valparaiso University where she double majored in German and Psychology with a pre-physical therapy curriculum. Having studied abroad in Germany prior to college allowed her to test out of lower-level German classes, which made her major easier to accomplish. Tracy then completed her master’s in Physical Therapy at the University of Findlay. Today she owns TLC Physical Therapy, her own clinic in Valparaiso.
IUHPFL didn’t only give Tracy a boost in her language skills. She also found that she was more confident about traveling outside the United States and navigating new public transit systems. Since IUHPFL, Tracy has been to more than sixteen different countries and will add Spain to the list when she meets Aiden there at the end of the program.
Aiden has had much more international experience than his mom had had when she participated in the program. Tracy worries less than her parents did because she is confident Aiden’s prior experiences will help him excel while in Spain. Aiden will also have an easier time staying in touch with his host family and peers post-program because of social media and smart phones. Just like Tracy, however, Aiden will not have access to a smart phone or laptop while abroad. IUHPFL’s rules around linguistic immersion have also remained the same from 1991 to today!
Aiden is looking forward to his upcoming time in Spain. In addition to the cultural and linguistic benefits, Aiden is excited to visit the Museo y Circuito Fernando Alonso, a museum dedicated to an F1 driver from Oviedo located just outside where he’ll be staying.
Back here in Indiana, Aiden attends Valparaiso High School and enjoys playing hockey. For now, his post-high school plans include majoring in business in college and adding a Spanish major or minor, just like his mom did with German. He is also interested in going to law school.
Tracy and Aiden are just one example of the IUHPFL legacy continuing in a family. Our alumni include many siblings and parents and their children, which goes to show that studying abroad can have ripple effects beyond the individual.
