This story was originally published in the fall 2023 edition of The Honor Role, the official newsletter of the Honors Program at Newman University.
By Katie Stewart, sophomore
This past summer, I studied abroad with two other Newman students and eight seminarians in Guatemala. Professors Sonja Bontrager and Cinthia López led the program, and Father Sam Brand, Father John Stang and Sister Dani Brought, ASC, provided spiritual guidance.
During the eight-week Guatemala Study and Serve program, I explored cities and villages throughout the country and stayed with host families, while immersed in the Spanish language and local cultures.
The previous spring semester, I took the class Intro to Central America with Bontrager.
We studied the tragic but beautiful history of Guatemala that demonstrated both the virtues and iniquities of humanity. Throughout the 20th century, there was significant conflict between civilians and the military-controlled government.
Countless innocent people were “disappeared,” and many others were tortured by military personnel who had no regard for the sanctity of life. This course was a key component of my experience as it provided the necessary insight into what the people of Guatemala have endured.
On May 25, we explored Guatemala City, visiting the cathedral, museums and markets. Everything — architecture, streets, transportation, clothing, food — was different, not to mention that everything was in Spanish.
Next, we traveled to La Labor, a community where the ASC-founded Proyecto de Salud Sangre de Cristo is based and provides health care, environmental support and education to families, schools and clinics.
We lived with host families, played basketball with the community, and collaborated with project staff and professionals in dental clinics and stove construction for families.
The Guatemala program was a pivotal part of my journey as a student and
Katie Stewart
aspiring physician who hopes to care for Spanish-speaking patients.
Next, we traveled to the western highland city of Quetzaltenango, where the Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzalteco (PLQ) school is located. PLQ welcomes people from across the globe for one-on-one Spanish study with teachers who are eager to share their culture.
While I had studied some Spanish while in high school, I was apprehensive about traveling to Guatemala after just one year at Newman. However, my Spanish progressed exponentially at PLQ.
Class was from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with outings in the afternoon, my favorite being the first church built in Central America. We also heard Guatemalan guest speakers who had served as civilian soldiers, medics and spies during the armed conflict, many of whom were teachers at PLQ.
When our time at the school came to a close, we had a graduation ceremony where I performed a poem I had written in Spanish praising my host mother’s fabulous pancakes.
We ended the program in the Mayan ruins of Tikal, in the northern department of Petén. Climbing an ancient pyramid in the dark and watching the sunrise was definitely a highlight of the trip, despite the 4 a.m. start and a few tarantulas crawling around.
The Guatemala program was a pivotal part of my journey as a student and aspiring physician who hopes to care for Spanish-speaking patients. Thank you to Bontrager and López for your tireless efforts and to the Gerber Institute for Catholic Studies for making this trip possible.
Guatemala Study and Serve at Newman University
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