A bit about me
Photo by Mira Morgan
My name is Sarah TeKolste, and I am a rising junior at Indiana University studying Spanish literature, theatre and drama, and Latin American studies. I have started this blog to chronicle my overseas adventures during the 2013-2014 academic year. Through the generosity of the Wells Scholars Program, I am fortunate to study at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain, for my junior year. I will also be spending four weeks during the preceding summer volunteering as a summer English teacher through Bilingual Education for Central America (BECA) in Cofradía, Honduras. This blog aspires to send a bit of the Spanish-speaking world back to Indiana with love.
I am a Spanish grammar geek, a passionate producer of student theatre, an aspiring educator, and an avid lover of all things delicious, hilarious, and festive. Spain became the first love of my life when I spent a summer studying in León, Spain, in 2010 through the Indiana University Honors Program. It was then that I decided I would combine my interests in Spanish, drama, and education to devote myself to bilingual education and bridging the gap between the Spanish- and English-speaking worlds. I knew that, if I had the opportunity to study abroad in college, I would seize it unconditionally. I was also incredibly fortunate to spend a week in Honduras last summer, volunteering with IU's chapter of Global Medical Brigades. By experiencing firsthand the extent of the poverty in rural Central America, I learned how much I desired to return, to make a more significant contribution, and to understand Honduras on a more profound level. I believe that, through BECA, I will have the opportunity to fulfill those goals this summer. I am so grateful for the ample opportunities I have had to travel over the course of the last several years, and I am beyond excited to make a second home for myself in Spain and to experience Latin America on a more intimate level. By rediscovering myself in the context of a new culture and by learning to express myself in a language other than my own, I believe that I will continue to learn an incredible amount about myself. I am excited and terrified by this journey of self-discovery.
I owe both my passion for education and the vast opportunities I have had in my life to my wonderful parents, Kim and Jeanne TeKolste. I grew up on the north side of Indianapolis with my dad, a self-employed lawyer, my mom, a special needs teacher, and my two older sisters, Emily and Rebecca. My sisters and I were raised with an emphasis on lifelong learning, a deeply rooted Catholic faith, and a calling to promote social justice in the world. As a family, we continue to pursue those goals today. Emily is an organic farmer in the Indianapolis area, focused on nutrition education and sustainable living, and Rebecca has just embarked on a two-year health education project with the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Our interests are varied, and our scope is broad, but we owe it to each other that we have had such incredible opportunities to travel, to contribute, and to learn and grow continually.
More information about the Universidad Complutense de Madrid can be found at this link, and details regarding the BECA summer camp can be found here. You can also check out Rebecca's Peace Corps blog--which is much more sophisticated than mine--by clicking on this link.
Please note that my opinions shared in this blog do not reflect the views of Indiana University, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, or Bilingual Education for Central America.