Student Spotlight on Jacob Pence: Starting a Spanish Adventure Abroad

As part of our ongoing student spotlight series, all of us at Greenheart Travel are thrilled to introduce our featured high school abroad student, Jacob Pence!  Read a little bit about Jacob and his reasons for studying in Spain!

Name, Age & Home:

I’m Jacob William Pence, age 16 years old from Carson City, Nevada.

Favorite Foods:

Chili, Salmon or sushi

Favorite things to do in your free time?

Listen to music, (my favorite artists right now are ASAP Rocky, J Cole and Schoolboy Q), be with my friends, wakeboard or play lacrosse.

Have you traveled abroad before?

When younger my family and I visited Ireland and last year we went to Belize, but I have never been by myself or to study abroad. 

What got you interested in studying abroad?

I really wanted to become fluent in the language. I did not really enjoy the first semester of my junior year at Manogue high school. I had just split up with my girlfriend of a year, so a perfect opportunity was created where I could go somewhere new and meet new people while seeing the culture and becoming fluent in Spanish.

What are you most excited about?

I am the most excited about having a (host) brother for the first time and to make new friends from another part of the world.

What do you think you will miss the most from home?

I will really miss my friends that I have become close with this year, and of course, my family. I think I might also at some point start to miss the English language while I am there. Haha.

What are you nervous about?

I am the most nervous about speaking Spanish. I am also somewhat nervous o go to a new high school.

How well do you speak Spanish at this point?

I would say my Spanish is mediocre. I understand the majority of everything said to me and can return responses. I still struggle with more detailed vocabulary and proper conjugations.

What is one of your goals while studying in Spain?

I want to make lots of lifelong connections and become fluent while having fun and maintaining my 4.06 GPA.

How do you think you will change the most during your time abroad?

I think the most extravagant change I will undergo is that I will become bilingual. I will gain an appreciation for other cultures. I will meet lots of new people which can always have an impact on someone. I think I will learn to be even more self-sufficient as I go through high school in a foreign country with a language I am not totally the best at. I think (and hope) I will experience things I would not be able to in America and it will be life changing.