Leah Espinal felt shocked and out of her comfort zone thousands of miles away from home in Cambridge, England, an ocean separating her from her family and familiar hometown. With a Croatian roommate who had Croatian friends, and the Russian students speaking Russian at lunch, Espinal felt isolated and unsure if she could continue with her program. The shock of so many different cultures and languages made her question her decision to participate; however, she soon adapted and within no time Espinal was making friends with high school students from all over the world and having the time of her life.

Revere sophomore Espinal participated in a study-abroad program at the Cambridge University in Cambridge, England this past summer between July 3 and August 1. She was involved with a program for ninth to tenth grade students who were very serious about their studies. Espinal took the study-abroad opportunity to improve upon her speech and debate skills and to get the chance to meet new people from all over the world.

The program allowed Espinal to choose two classes to study during her month-long stay at the university, so she chose medicine, which became her main focus, or her “major,” and she chose to “minor” in speech and debate.

“I had [my] major every day for three hours except for Sunday, and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I also had my minor class for two hours,” Espinal said.

Espinal explained that at first she had trouble adapting to the unfamiliar location and people, but she soon branched out and found herself making friends with students from multiple countries.

“I met [a] girl from Sweden who spoke really good English and all these people from New York City. Every morning I got up, and I went running with the Argentinean rugby team. It was cool because now I have friends from Istanbul, Argentina, Columbia, and India. There was someone there from every country. I was even speaking Spanish with all the Spanish kids, so that was really cool,” Espinal said.

Espinal’s mother, Sue Espinal, explained that while she was nervous about her daughter traveling abroad, she was put at ease by her daughter’s maturity throughout the process and her trust in the prestigious program.

“[Her father and I] conducted extensive research and the feedback on the program was just outstanding. Cambridge has a long and renowned tradition of academic excellence. Combining such a culture with two of her favorite subjects – science and medicine, along with speech and debate – seemed to make sense,” Sue Espinal said.

Espinal noted that she especially enjoyed her speech and debate class.

“I [loved] that class. The great thing about it was everyone was so willing to help you,” Espinal said.

Revere Speech and Debate adviser John Kerezy explained that Espinal, who has been a part of the Revere High School Speech and Debate team for two years, is a key member of the school’s team. Kerezy noted that he believes that her stay at Cambridge has greatly improved her speaking and debating skills and that Espinal has the skill and potential to take her speech and debate career far.

“More confidence in speech, wisdom in argumentation, and a strong approach to refutation are all skills Leah gained at Cambridge. She’s only the second person I’ve known in my eight years as a coach to attend this program. The first was a State of Ohio champion twice and national champion once in Congressional Debate. Leah could do the same thing. She is that good,” Kerezy said.

As for her study abroad opportunity, Espinal explains that she is extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to experience so many other cultures and to learn how to be out on her own.

“I definitely learned how to adapt well in different situations. The thing about [being alone in] England is there [are] no friends pushing you to do your work, or there [are] no parents telling you to sit down and do your homework. So being away from home, even transatlantic, you get to make your own decisions and that was pretty cool. It was definitely the college experience,” Espinal said.

Espinal learned about different cultures from around the world, and obtained a better understanding of medicine. She worked on her speech and debate skills enough to see a possible championship in her future. Her summer abroad at the University of Cambridge was an experience she said that she will never forget and one that she wholeheartedly recommends to other students.