Junior Journal: Shannen Chacon ‘25

Florida Southern’s Junior Journey is one of the highlights of the educational experience students can expect at the College. There are a number of trips throughout the year with destinations like Germany and Spain among the most popular. The goal of this blog is to give an insight into what goes on before, during and after the trip so that future travelers can have an idea of what to expect.

Editor’s Note: This will be a weekly feature, with this week’s entry taking place before departure on Sunday, May 7.

Hey Mocs! My name is Shannen Chacon, a rising junior in the nursing program. You might recognize me from running Lake Hollingsworth, working as a personal trainer in the Wellness Center, or from grabbing my daily chai latte from Tutu’s on campus. I’m home in Orlando with my family right now, but very soon  I’ll be with a host family in Alicante, Spain!

For the next month, I’m excited to be sharing my Junior Journey with you to study abroad at Proyecto Español. Tomorrow, I travel with about 40 other Florida Southern students, two of the very best Spanish professors, and one of our wonderful librarians.

I’m finalizing my packing today and picking up my friend (and roommate for the trip) from the airport before we head to Tampa together tomorrow morning. Four years ago, I visited Barcelona for a short few days as part of a trip in high school. I loved Spain then, so I can’t wait to spend the whole month learning the culture and exploring new cities. This time, I have three semesters of college Spanish under my belt.

My biggest goal for this trip is to gain more confidence in the language. Once I’m home, I will be able to say that I’ve completed my Spanish minor! Monday through Friday, we will be attending classes to progress in the language and be immersed in the culture. We expect to have classmates from many different countries, and I’m really looking forward to making new friends.

We have a long day or so of travel ahead, and the next time I write to you, I’ll be settled into the place I’ll call home for the month. ¡Hasta luego!