CIEE Latin America Fellow Spotlight: Isabella Wilson
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Meet the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Student Fellows!
Follow along as CIEE sends 100 student leaders on a fully-funded semester abroad through the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Fellowship. In this series, we spotlight Fellows as they immerse themselves in Latin American culture, grow as leaders, and prepare to make an impact worldwide.
Name: Isabella Wilson
School: Indiana University-Bloomington
LATAM Location: Santiago, Chile
Q1: What Latin American cultural tradition are you most excited to immerse yourself in?
I am so excited to try out the culture of dancing! Dancing is so popular in Chile and in Latin America. I think it is a beautiful way to express yourself and express yourself with others.
Watch here: Isabella visits Cerro San Cristóbal
Q2: What do you hope to learn (academically, culturally, and/or personally) during your semester abroad?
I hope to learn that all of the things that make us different are actually strengths. That we can all come together for the same purpose to love one another despite our differences. I also hope to improve my Spanish and be able to communicate with so many new people.
Q3: How does cultural immersion abroad help you become a more conscious global citizen?
Cultural immersion abroad helps me become a more conscious global citizen because it gives me the opportunity to all different walks of life. I've been able to meet people who sell food and materials on the street and markets and I've also met engineers and office workers. One of my professors at my university in the United States once said, "Everyone carries a story with them wherever they go." While studying abroad, I've learned that what she said is right, that we all have a story no matter where we are, so we need to treat one another with love.
Swipe through: Isabella shares photos from her trip to San Pedro de Atacama
Q4: How does your personal background or identity shape your interest in Latin America?
As a white, Christian woman from a small town in the midwest in the United States, I have found myself not knowing much about the world or the people in it. But I've always known that I wasn't meant to stay in that small world. My heart has always sought to travel and meet diverse people. I think that as a Christian, I have a heart for all people and I desire to learn others' hearts, no matter where or who. I felt a calling to Latin America to learn Spanish, the people and the culture. And now here I am doing it! I wanted to travel to a place that wasn't necessarily as known as a place like Spain. So, I chose Chile and felt a pull to come here. Since coming here, I have met so many different people and learned a lot more about their culture. And I am on the way to becoming the kind of person I have always wanted to be, loving, kind, accepting and understanding.
Q5: What parting advice do you have for other students who want to apply for this opportunity for spring 2026?
DO IT! This has been the opportunity of a lifetime! If you are scared, do it scared; if you are excited, do it excitedly. You never know what you could learn or how much you will grow while exploring a different part of our world. Don't stay comfortable with what you know. Choose the journey that makes your heart race.
Study Abroad in Latin America
Now it's your turn to experience all that Latin America study abroad has to offer!