My Fundraising Story - Robert Baskett

Hi, my name is Robert Baskett.  I'm 16 years old and am currently a sophomore at The Putney School in Vermont. This summer, I will be going to Coronado, Costa Rica for a Spanish immersion program. My interest in Spanish was kindled at the age of 4, when my preschool teacher-who was from Latin American-began to teach me Spanish vocabulary. Over the years, Spanish has grown to become less of a casual interest of mine, and more of a love.  I took Spanish as a tutorial in 8th grade when my middle school only offered French, and I finished Spanish IV this year at Putney.  I think becoming fluent in a second language and understanding a different culture will be life-changing.  Long-term I'm not sure how I will use Spanish, but I hope to use the skills I learn this summer when I go to another Spanish-speaking country in two summers to volunteer..

Learning Spanish, not just in the classroom, but in a real life setting will help me accomplish the goals I have set for myself.  However, I'm in need of support financially. This is an experience of a lifetime, but with daunting college expenses looming over me, I am pressed between spending my summer earning money at a job and this chance to become fluent in Spanish. Any help you could give that would allow me to accomplish my goals would mean more to me than I could express.