Cultural Speakers Series

Every year, we sponsor speakers with experience in French- and Spanish-speaking countries (and beyond!) to inspire language students in Oregon and Washington with fun, engaging stories of life abroad. Our presenters are either native speakers or have experience living and traveling abroad. They are excited to share their stories and insights with your students! Past topics have included Arab Youth Culture in France, Growing up in Costa Rica, Teen life in Spain, A French Exchange Student's perspective of the Northwest, and more.

Becca has participated extensively in homestays across the world, starting with hosting a French student at home in Oregon and then spending a month at the student's home in Haute-Savoie, France. She has also spent a semester in Dijon as a student in a host family, and most recently returned from a year as an English teacher in Nantes. After living in Europe, Becca backpacked in Vietnam, Japan and Thailand, where she lived and volunteered at a Thai cooking school.

An avid hiker, she has been on trips in the French and Swiss Alps, the Pyrenees, the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, and Mount Fuji. Her goal is to travel to 40 countries by the age of 40, and is already halfway there! Becca loves travel and adventure, and is excited to share the many benefits of going abroad with students.

Ariel seeks to share her joy and enthusiasm for travel and cultural exchange with your students through her experiences and stories of travel in Mexico, Spain, France, and Israel.

Her thirst for learning and connecting with people motivated her to do a semester studying abroad in the beautiful UNESCO world heritage city of Querétaro, Mexico living with a host family. While in Mexico she honed her language skills, traversed the jungles of San Luis Potosí, climbed the Aztec pyramids, and ventured down to the exquisite coast of Oaxaca, where she learned to appreciate and make delicious mole.

After graduating, Ariel lived in Madrid for a year where she taught English at Spanish schools in the mountains, volunteered at a farm in Granada, and volunteered at a hostel in Seville. Ariel recently returned to Portland from a year in Jerusalem studying dance, Hebrew, while interning at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. Ariel looks forward to sharing her experiences and adventures and hopes to inspire classrooms to engage with the gratifying and dynamic world of study abroad.