Michelle Robarts
Thinking about going to another country to study but don’t want to go for an entire semester? Then this program is perfect for you.
Journey’s of Discovery offers a four-week abroad session to Spain or a five-week session to Mexico during the summer months.
Professor Donald Culton and his wife, Professor Josefina Culton, are in charge of the program. Both programs are directed at students interested in studying Spanish. They are open to anyone and offer community college credit.
“It is for people who speak all levels of Spanish,” Culton said.
Culton, who is currently retired, was a former director of international education for the Los Angeles Community College District. His wife, Josefina, is a Spanish professor at West Los Angeles College.
Both of them have been involved with the program since 1978 and do a lot of business with students particularly from Pierce and West L.A. colleges.
“Both programs are taught at established schools with Spanish speaking teachers,” Culton explained. “Besides Spanish, other classes offered are film and history but they are only taught in Spanish.”
The language portion of the curriculum is the subject that is most focused on.
“Students live with families who are found through the school we work with,” said Culton. “They have years of experience and the school does an excellent job of finding these families for us.”
The Spanish program, conducted in the city of Salamanca, about two and a half hours outside of Madrid near the Portuguese border.
The Salamanca program generally costs $3,500 for four weeks. This price includes the tuition for school, room and board, three meals a day with the family, an optional excursion, airfare and any applicable taxes and/or surcharges.
The Mexico program is in the city of Guadalajara at a cost of about $2,195 for five weeks. The price includes the same things as the Salamanca program.
Culton described the Mexico program as “the best deal around, though the Spain program is more popular.”
“Fifteen to 20 years ago, more students were involved with these programs, because of the changing demographics of students, the number involved had decreased,” explained Culton.
The Cultons used to offer a program to Paris, but it became too expensive to keep up with.
“Generally, most of the programs’ students come from Pierce because more of them can afford to go,” said Culton.
Information meetings about the program are scheduled from time to time and students can sign up, view program brochures and contact the Cultons via the website at www.journeyofdiscovery.org.
In addition to the summer programs, a 12-week spring semester program is offered only for Spain, but it isn’t as popular as the summer sessions.
“We will be wrapping up enrollment at the end of May,” said Culton.
Students who will be attending the trips this summer leave June 16 for Spain and July 16 for Mexico.