Jocelyn Price ’11 is not one to turn down an opportunity for learning or experiencing new things. Her passionate spirit has led her to divide her junior year between Dakar, Senegal, and Viña del Mar — a suburb of ValparaÃso, Chile.
Though contemplating a career in medicine, Jocelyn decided to focus her Scripps education on foreign language study. In order to best pursue her major fields — French and Spanish — Jocelyn chose to immerse herself in these languages by spending the full year abroad.
“My original intent in learning languages was to be able to communicate with a broader spectrum of people and to be able to delve into a variety of cultures in a way that is impossible with a language barrier. I have experienced firsthand the delights of communicating with someone in their native tongue. Their eyes light up and suddenly new realms of conversation are unlocked that were previously forbidden. Literal and metaphorical doors are opened as people invite you in for tea and ask you your life story. In this way, I intend to continue using my languages as an avenue for communication, personal growth, and learning.”
Jocelyn’s program in Senegal in the fall afforded her an opportunity entirely different from her earlier experience as a high school exchange student in Spain: “I felt that Europe was far too familiar after the time I had spent there, so my mind turned immediately to Africa — a place where I would be put far out of my comfort zone and never, for the life of me, be able to blend in.”
While in Senegal, Jocelyn had the opportunity to take courses taught in French — Advanced French language, Senegalese culture and society, and the History of Islam — as well as to pick up a little Wolof, the local African dialect.
Mostly, though, Jocelyn used her time in Senegal to soak up the local culture and traditions. Her Senegalese family consisted of three generations living in a relatively large and comfortable house in Dakar. Some of her favorite experiences included spending time with a Senegalese friend — her unofficial Wolof instructor who also taught her the secret to making the perfect cup of Senegalese tea.
Jocelyn then spent her spring semester in Chile. Weekdays she rode buses into ValparaÃso to take her classes — Spanish, art, public health, and a Mandarin Chinese course. She also participated in a volunteer internship program, working with kids in the community. “The community action workshop allows me to gain an interesting perspective on Chilean culture — through the eyes of the children. As we teach them about the environment, medicinal plants, and the value of their own culture and public spaces, they give us warm hugs and lessons in communication, silly games, and hidden stereotypes,” she explained.
The highlight of Jocelyn’s time in Chile involved spending time with her Chilean host family. “They are incredibly welcoming and loving, treating me as a daughter so readily that I felt like I had been a part of their family for months after a mere week or two. Moreover, we carried on amazing, heart-to-heart conversations over dinner, learning about one another’s cultures, comparing our stances on everything from spirituality and religion to sexuality and marriage.”
Jocelyn will return to Scripps in the fall, immeasurably enriched by her time and experiences abroad and ready to share some of her knowledge and insights with the Scripps community.
Over 60% of Scripps juniors study off campus at one or more of 101 approved programs. This year, 19 juniors were abroad for the full year; 13 of them, like Jocelyn, studied in a different country each semester. Click here for more information on the college’s off-campus study program.