In the spring of 2025, BCEF provided $3200 from our Andy Koors Legacy Fund to help support the group of Batesville High School students who were accepted into the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Language. We received this group letter from the students upon their return.

We want to express our gratitude to all of those involved in BCEF and their donation to our experience in foreign culture and language this summer. It was nothing short of life-changing for many of us, and we cannot thank you enough. Between our time spent with families, friends, and our shared cultural opportunities, the collective experience was extraordinary. Not only have our linguistic abilities improved, but we’ve grown as people as well.

One of the most beneficial parts of the trip was the experience of living with local families throughout the duration of our program. They taught us many things that we would not have learned inside the classroom. We learned a great deal about the culture and their way of life. This would not have been possible without them. To this day, some of us consider the “familia” we had during our trip as part of our own family state-side. The memories we now carry with us are invaluable and could not have been attained without the people we met while abroad. We will be ever grateful for the memories and lessons we learned from them.

Although the classes were intense and time-consuming (especially with homework), they were very helpful when it came to learning about the history and culture of Spain. Also, it gave us more time to interact with fellow classmates of the program, and practice our Spanish with those of a similar age and level of speaking. We also visited various establishments in the communities of our cities in order to learn and interact with residents of Spain, and this was extremely beneficial to our experience.

With regards to the language, the first week was very difficult. With a little time, however, we were able to adjust. While we all struggled with the homework and immersion, we learned so much in very little time. The experience of being thrown into a foreign country without much knowing of what we were getting ourselves into. However, we are thankful that all of us can definitively say it was one of the best decisions we have made in our lives. After the program and during the final weeks, we actually surprised ourselves with our Spanish abilities. We were able to make jokes, talk with the locals, and have intense conversations in the language. It was genuinely the experience of a lifetime. Once again, thank you to everyone at BCEF.