Jonle Sedar ’91

Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica

A January Term trip to Europe, led by French Professor Jean-Pierre Lalande, sparked a love of language and travel in Jonle Sedar ’91. Today, Sedar is an administrator at CPI Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica, where she engages in organizing and running customized study-abroad programs for people of all ages and abilities from anywhere in the world. Most students are placed with a Costa Rican family, an environment that speeds language learning and provides an authentic cultural experience.

“I love seeing the growth, particularly of the university students, who step out of their comfort zone to study abroad in a new country,” Sedar says.

“Participants leave Costa Rica not only having improved their Spanish but also with an expanded global vision. The immersion is 24/7, and students engage in another way of living—not only the obvious cultural representations—dance, food, and holidays—but also the subtle manifestations found in the perspectives and values of the Costa Rican people.”

CPI and Moravian College are developing a relationship that will allow coursework at CPI to transfer to Moravian, and CPI plans to extend a two-week summer scholarship to a Moravian College student. Stay tuned for final details.