Nat Cappetta

Education Abroad Program: *Oaxaca, Mexico: Culture and Communities (Maymester 2025)

Majors: Secondary Education and Physics

About Nat: Nat studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico in the summer of 2025. Through the Penn State course CI 340N, she enhanced her understanding of equity and social justice in the indigenous community and had the opportunity to learn languages and practice research skills inside and outside the classroom. For example, she was given the opportunity to take classes in Triqui, an indigenous language, and complete an ethnographic inquiry project in which she researched women and dance in Oaxaca. During her time abroad, she and her class visited local and indigenous communities and experienced multilingual life by residing with a local family and participating ina shared program with local students.  

Advice to Prospective Education Abroad Students: Speak with everyone you can, whether you are in a place with a different language or not. Locals are a wealth of knowledge and even short encounters on the street can teach you so much. Many people are proud of their home and willing to share about their experiences, their city’s history, and answer your questions as well as ask about you! Participating in a Penn State education abroad program affords you this opportunity that you may not get anywhere else. I am excited to help you through your options, especially with worries about language learning or language “barriers.”  

To get in touch with Nat about her experience abroad, please email EducationAbroad@psu.edu and address your email to her!