Hodgden Travel Fund supports trip to Peru for SSU Nursing student

Nursing student Jared Howard traveled to Peru as part of his Spanish minor.

A Minford, Ohio native and member of the Ohio Army National Guard, Jared Howard decided to attend Shawnee State University to pursue a Nursing degree after returning from active duty where he was stationed in multiple locations around the world for seven years. Adding to his world travels, he recently had the opportunity to participate in a trip to Peru as part of his Spanish minor.

“The trip was funded by the Hodgden Fund, a grant provided to SSU by Professor Emeritus Betty Hodgden,” said Howard. “This particular trip was for Spanish minors with many purposes such as practicing our developing language skills with primary speakers and allowing us to become engrossed in a new culture.”

Established through the estate of Professor Emeritus Betty Hodgden, the Betty & Jim Hodgden Travel Fund was established to support SSU’s English & Humanities Department in expanding educational opportunities for SSU professors and students through travel. Through this fund, Howard, alongside three other students and SSU Spanish Professor Dr. Pablo Salinas, were able to travel to Peru free of cost. During their time in Peru, the group was able to explore many regions of the country, staying in multiple places such as Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu.

“We had the opportunity to try different foods such as Guinea Pig and Alpaca,” Howard said. “We visited an elementary school and a university where we were able to practice our Spanish with peers. We took cooking classes and toured local markets filled with ingredients we’ve never heard of. We explored museums filled with Incan artifacts, as well as historic Incan cities that are still standing to this day.”

Howard, aspiring to enter the healthcare profession once he finishes his degree, appreciates the opportunity to have had this enriching experience. A standout takeaway from the trip was the chance to advance his proficiency in Spanish. Seeing this as a valuable skill, Howard is hoping to use his minor to enable him to better communicate with Spanish-speaking patients in his future role as a nurse.

“This trip was impactful in many ways,” he said. “For future employment prospects, I will now be able to tell employers that I successfully navigated a foreign environment using a select foreign language. A lot of fields like healthcare are increasingly desiring bilingual candidates. As a person, it instilled in me a newfound source of pride and confidence. It is liberating and fulfilling.”

Having the opportunity to study abroad and use his skills in a new environment is something Howard encourages other students to pursue.

“Getting to see the world makes life worth living,” he said. “The number of opportunities like the Hodgden Fund is endless.”

To learn more about the Spanish minor in the English & Humanities department at Shawnee State University, visit www.shawnee.edu/english. For giving opportunities or to learn more about named funds within the SSU Development Foundation, visit www.givetossu.com.