Congratulations to the following IFSA-Butler students who have made great academic and personal achievements during and after their study abroad experiences! For more details on some of our students' amazing experiences, visit the IFSA-Butler blogs.

Shannon Mueller
Carleton College
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Shannon placed second in a race to raise awareness for muscular dystrophy. Shannon's picture appeared in an article about the race in a local newspaper.

Tiffanie Clark
Miami University of Ohio
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Tiffanie did a poetry reading at the local "Cafe Chocolate" of her own poems in Spanish. See below to read her composition.

She also recited two poems during the inauguration of IFSA-Butler's office in  Mérida, at which UADY and former IFSA-Butler presidents were present:

"My time here in Mérida has come to a close and I pray my voice; my poetry will resound forever in the hearts of many.

With all the obstacles I faced to get here I can only feel a fantastic joy about it all. Maybe life will be different when I return to a cold December in Ohio where I won't eat french bread nor hear Salsa in the park, but I know the words that Mérida has given me will stick to my very bones. I now know what life is: Poetry in a crowded club, a trumpet resounding on a silent beach, a weak smile from a stranger on the bus and music streaming from beneath the very pavement. The streets and things we see are temporal but the brilliant stars and the glorious moon are forever, left for others to see. So, who am I? I am a simple story teller. A soul made to love, dance and rest in the night. I will continue to tell the stories I saw in the orange horizons of Yucatán. I will tell of the shirtless boy walking alone downtown selling cigarettes, the french teacher with dark hair and the old man playing his sad songs on some elevated curbside. Mexico, in definition is in a dangerous state, as many other places in our world. It is shown on the corner of the daily paper where photos of decapitated politicians appear, but beneath the bad there is the dark skinned girl who brightened my gloomy days, the poet who writes letters to an unknown gentlemen, the indigenous man who sells cigars in Progresso and the bus driver who always seems to be smiling. We are Mexico, full of shortcomings, yet shining with the marvel of our souls while we walk on the concrete of lives past. I only hope to remember. If not, my words will do the remembering for me."

Judith Landeros
Northwestern University
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Together with another IFSA-Butler student, Judith organized a main event for UNASSE, a local feminist organization. Judith volunteered at UNASSE for the semester. Judith also was interviewed by UADY's radio station about her study abroad experience in Mérida.

Ferron Salniker
Amherst College
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Ferron is now a food and travel writer. In summer 2011 she received a grant to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico City and Veracruz, and she writes about her adventures on her blog, http://www.diginmexico.com/.

Jonathan Seaberg
Bethel University
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Jonathan (pictured below, second from right) received an honorary certification for participating in the volunteer program "Hoy en tu Comunidad" every Saturday of the semester. He also was invited to a special reception at the anniversary of this program. Hoy en tu Comunidad allows students from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán to provide services related to their field of study in villages throughout the state of Yucatán. Jonathan says of his experience, "I went fairly consistently and made a lot of friends through the process. It also gave me the opportunity to see the variety of communities that exist in Mexico by experiencing the lifestyle in more rural areas."

Trent Smith
Georgetown University
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán
Trent has been accepted into the Teach for America program. He will be teaching at a school in Houston, Texas. Congratulations, Trent!