Congratulations to our August 2026 grantee Abbie Currie. According to Abbie, “My greatest goal for my students is to invite them to develop a broader and more empathetic world view and to learn Spanish in a richer and more authentic way! With your grant money, I will enroll my two Spanish 3 classes in an online intercultural exchange, with students from a Spanish speaking country, facilitated by the organization Level Up Village.

“Communicating in Spanish is not just a means to an end; something to put on a transcript or resume. It is a way to dive deeper into life, learn from others, find joy in learning and develop as human beings. To link my students to real students from another country, I am able to show them the beauty and meaning behind learning a language; authentic communication and connection with real people! My students will learn Spanish, both vocabulary and grammar, and how to use the language in context. But more than that, they will learn ideas, ways of thinking and cultural values! When people with different values and lived experiences come together, you are cultivating peace and empathy.

“Additionally, my students would be more motivated to learn their target language because of the innate desire they have to communicate and learn from their peers. The standards for foreign language learning (ACTFL) all fall into one of five categories, called the “5 C’s”; Communication, Culture, Connection, Comparisons, and Communities. I believe that we can strengthen learning in all of these areas through this project. Finally, this project will grow the Spanish program at my school, Open World Learning.

“I am so excited at the prospect of having my students broaden their horizons and step out of their world in Saint Paul into a more global perspective. I would love to show them how learning a language can be both fun and truly meaningful.”