The Legacy of Diversity Endowed Fund
Summer 2012
Because of Legacy of Diversity donors, Laura Zenteno FP’13 is spending her summer as a teacher, researcher, and student at Home Intercultural Learning in La Plata, Argentina. Through an agreement with the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, Home—as it is called—provides internships to MHC students majoring in a range of disciplines, including education, social sciences, and languages.
Zenteno’s opportunities as an intern have been wide-ranging. "I teach and assist in various English language classes that serve students of all ages. I also collaborate with teachers on mini-projects, and intercultural language acquisition," she says. "I also am learning Chinese!"
The list continues: she tutors individual students, leads conversation meetings at community locations, runs a film club, participates in intercultural language events, and teaches a speaking 2.0 class. Zenteno, who is of Bolivian heritage, finds all of it meaningful: “The internship is bringing diversity to my teaching experiences, exposing me to new teaching methodologies, broadening my understanding of the relationship between learning, languages and cultures, and expanding my awareness and knowledge of global educational issues.”
Zenteno transferred to Mount Holyoke from Miami Dade College in Florida. Though she was impressed by Mount Holyoke’s vast academic resources, what attracted her most were the opportunities for community-based learning (CBL), as well as service opportunities, internships, and independent research. She now envisions a career that incorporates teaching both domestically and internationally with conducting research in the areas of psychology and education.
“Ultimately, I want to contribute to the strength of individuals, families, and communities,” she says. “More immediately, I’m looking forward to sharing what I have learned in Argentina back at Mount Holyoke.”
Related links:
Gift Opportunities
The Committee
See the Video
Alumnae Reflections
