FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
September 17, 2009
Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

Shawnee State
University Students Travel to Spain for Exchange Program
Three Shawnee State University students are in Spain for
fall semester at its sister university, the Universitat
Jaume I in Castelló, Spain. It is located on the east coast
of Spain. In the exchange this year, six students from the
Spanish university are studying at SSU.
Christine Moore, junior, of Greenup County, Ky., Ashley
McCray, senior, of Waverly, and Timothy Steflik, senior, of
Augusta, Ga., are SSU students in the exchange program at
the Universitat Jaume I.
Moore speaks a little Spanish and she is living with her
friend Ari who studied at SSU last year.
“I have always dreamed of traveling abroad and once I
discovered my love for the Spanish language and its people,
I wanted to truly be a part of the culture,” Moore said.
Although she had Spanish in high school, McCray said she
only speaks the language a little but plans to learn the
language while she is there. This was her first time to fly.
“I hope to learn a lot about the culture and really
understand the vastness of the world and what all is beyond
Ohio,” McCray said. “I want to travel while I am here and I
want to see it all.”
Steflik plans to visit Granada fishing in the some of the
finest trout streams in Northern Spain, attending the
world's most elite soccer matches in Barcelona, and go to
many other European countries by train.
“I want to increase my ability to become a better volunteer
in the Peace Corps; and to gain valuable experiences that
will broaden my horizons and make me more competitive in a
highly globalized job market,” he said.
He hopes to become fluent in Spanish and integrate into a
foreign culture.
“By the end of my stay I hope to be a better communicator
and know that I have created long-lasting friendships with
the people here,” Moore said. “I want to be able to say that
I´ve experienced the real España.
Cutline:
Shawnee State University students Christine Moore, left, of
Greenup County, Ky., and Ashley McCray, of Waverly, point to
Castelló, Spain, where the Universitat Jaume I is located.
The students along with SSU student Timothy Steflik, of
Augusta, Ga., not in photo, are exchange students at the
university for fall semester.
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