Students will be able to attend a study abroad program in Guadalajara, Mexico for the first time ever where they will be able to learn about the rich culture of the area and take new classes simultaneously.

Guadalajara is known as “The City of Roses,” and is a center for traditional Mexican culture that is most representative of the country.

The program will run from Jan. 13-29, and students will be learning and playing in such places as Michoacan, Guanajuato, Guachimontones and Tequila Town.

“Dr. Mercedes Thompson was given a Fulbright Grant recently, and she and I along with other Los Angeles teachers visited Guadalajara and we absolutely fell in love with the city,” Dr. Nitza Llado, program leader and Spanish professor, said.

This grant ultimately led to the creation of the study abroad program in Guadalajar.

“As a result of receiving the grant, I became more highly interested in revisiting Guadalajara and I had that opportunity with the study abroad program,” Llado said

Students who attend the program will be taking five-week classes at the prestigious Centro de Estudios para Extranjeros CEPE, (Foreign Student Study Center.)

The classes being offered during the study abroad program are Art 7, Spanish 1 and Spanish 24.

In order to go on the trip, students must enroll in one class.

“I was very fascinated by the city and impressed with the organization of the Foreign Student Study Center,” Llado said.

The Foreign Student Study Center was established in 1948 and has the reputation of having the finest accredited university programs of Spanish language and Latin American culture in the world.

The Study Center also provides recreational activities, weekend excursions and cultural workshops to learn more about Guadalajara.

Most of the students who have already signed up for the program said they are going for two main reasons.

Some of students attending are native speakers of Spanish, but have never been to Mexico, so they go to learn about their heritage and learn how to speak and write formal Spanish grammar.

Others are going to Guadalajara to learn how to speak the language of Spanish because it will benefit them later in life socially or in their future line of work.

“In California especially, it is very beneficial to speak Spanish because it makes it easier to communicate with people we work alongside,” Brett Ulyate, undeclared major, said.

The program has a total cost of $2,050 with an initial payment of $200.

It includes 16 days in Guadalajara with roundtrip air transportation, hotel accommodations and admission fees to various attractions.

“The study abroad program is a lot of fun for the students that went with me to Australia and everybody came back happy, having had a great experience,” Arthur Verge, Australia study abroad program and history professor, said.

For more information on attending the study abroad program, students can contact Llado at [email protected].

Financial aid is also available for students who are interested in attending the program.

“I really want to go on this trip because I am 21 years old and I haven’t been to Mexico,” Brittany Ruiz, undeclared major, said.