An interview with Chloe Loeffelholz, Development Manager
In the spring of 2015, Sadie embarked on a journey as a student with The Traveling School’s 25th semester in Central America. Today, she is a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where she promotes Spanish literacy by teaching elementary school children how to read. Sadie credits her time with The Traveling School for inspiring her passion for Spanish. Read on to discover the lessons from TTS that stick with Sadie today.
How did your Traveling School semester impact you?
The biggest lesson I took away from The Traveling School was how to be flexible and adaptable. That has been an invaluable life skill, both in my career and personal life. My time in Central America with TTS also sparked my love of Spanish. I’m still inspired to seek out opportunities to continue learning and practicing.
In what contexts does The Traveling School come up in your life now?
I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t thought about something I learned or experienced as a TTS student! One lesson I think about constantly was on the Nicaraguan Revolution and the literacy brigades. As part of our lesson, we spoke to a nun who had helped teach campesinos how to read during the revolution. Although I currently live in the Dominican Republic, not Nicaragua, the things I learned during my time with TTS help me to contextualize my work as a Spanish Literacy Promoter and understand the root causes behind low literacy rates in the Dominican Republic.
Can you share a specific experience from your semester that sticks with you today?
Just a few days into my semester, we were in Guatemala and our teacher, Sarah White, had us interview one of the staff members of the hostel where we were staying. This staff member discussed the issues facing young people in Guatemala and mentioned the problem of gang violence in particular. When asked what she thinks would solve this issue, she responded simply “education.” This sticks with me today as someone who works in education.
Interested in exploring more alumni stories? Check out The Traveling School’s 2023 Impact Report!
