Immersion experience
01/15/2025
Coen North chose a semester in Mexico to fulfill a requirement of his Spanish major.
Charting his own path
Coen North 鈥26, a communication and media and Spanish double major from Denver, Colo., studied abroad in Mexico, during the fall 2024 semester.
鈥淭ypically, students go to Guatemala to fulfill their requirement for our Spanish major,鈥 said North. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to go to Guatemala because that is what everyone else does and I wanted to have my own unique experience.鈥
During his time in Mexico, North attended An谩huac Mayab University in M茅rida, Yucatan where he took several communication classes and even a tennis class, all of which were taught in Spanish. North said it took him nearly a month to get used to speaking only Spanish, but he now feels more prepared to graduate because of this experience.
鈥淚t was a very professional school,鈥 said North. 鈥淚 feel like they really set their students up for success after graduation. We completed work that companies would look for, such as designing a marketing plan to boost morale for a struggling company. I also took the tennis class because I wanted something more laid back. That is where I met some of my closest friends.鈥
Along with attending classes, North also competed for the Yucatan state track and field team where he competed in the javelin throw. North even aspires to return to Yucatan in March 2025 to compete in another track meet.
Some of North鈥檚 favorite memories during his time in Mexico included his host parents. North said his host parents spoke Spanish most of the time which North said was hard to adjust to, especially after first waking up in the morning.
鈥淚t was definitely hard because of the language barrier,鈥 said North. 鈥淭his experience taught me a lot about myself, and it was a very great trip overall.鈥
North has been very familiar with Bluffton鈥檚 campus as his grandparents, Russ 鈥64 and Nancy (Kurtz 鈥66) Gregory, attended Bluffton.
North came to Bluffton as a pre-physical therapy major. After a discussion with his advisor, Marathana Prothro, he learned about the communication major and the many avenues that he could pursue after his time at Bluffton.
After graduation, North鈥檚 goal is to become a firefighter, which he has declared since his first year. As a communication major, North has learned many skills necessary to excel in this field. He would also like the opportunity to go back to Mexico and become a translator.
At Bluffton, North is a member of the men鈥檚 track and field team. He is also in Spanish club and a hall chaplain in Ramseyer Hall.