Passports and possibilities: Retired faculty fund study abroad scholarships

Study abroad experiences can transform students' educations, empowering them to see the world from new perspectives and learn through experiences. 

But for many, the costs associated with traveling abroad are a hindrance.  

Two retired College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences faculty members are stepping up to help students study around the world.  

Jacqueline Bixler, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Spanish, and Patricia Kelly, professor emerita in the School of Education, have both established endowed scholarships to help students afford to study abroad.  

Both were inspired by their own experiences traveling internationally while either studying or leading students.  

The scholarships are a reflection of Virginia Tech Advantage, a universitywide priority to provide high-quality educational experiences to students regardless of income.   

When Bixler was an undergraduate student at Ohio University, she traveled to the Mexican city of Xalapa, where she stayed with a local family and spoke only Spanish. 

“I really think that in order to be fluent in a language, you have to immerse yourself in it,” she said. “It’s not just about learning how to fill in blanks and use a dictionary, but rather, thinking for yourself to put it together” 

After studying in Mexico, Bixler said she “couldn’t get enough of it,” and spent her junior year studying in Spain.   

“I would have never become a Spanish professor and had the career I’ve had if I had not studied abroad,” she said. 

Bixler earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Kansas. As a professor at Virginia Tech, she created and led a six-week summer program in Xalapa, the same city where she had fallen in love with Mexico and the way the language is spoken there. 

“Those summers in Mexico with students were the most rewarding experiences of my career,” she said.  

The Bixler Scholarship Fund comes at a time when foreign language course enrollments are down nationally, according to a Modern Language Association study. Nonetheless, there is still a high demand for Spanish speakers in the workforce, Forbes reported in 2023.  

“Given current demographic patterns, I believe it is important for everyone to have some knowledge of Spanish,” Bixler said.   

Bixler’s scholarship, for which students studying Spanish can apply next fall, will allow one student to travel abroad each academic year. The scholarship is geared toward underrepresented and first-generation college students. 

Bixler continues to serve as editor of the Latin American Theatre Review, a journal devoted to the study and dissemination of Latin American and Latinx theater. During her time at Virginia Tech, she published numerous books and articles focused, in particular, on contemporary Mexican theater. Bixler retired in 2023 after 43 years at the university. 

“I’ve had a great career at Virginia Tech,” Bixler said. “It’s been a wonderful place, and I’ve always had it in my mind that I was going to establish a scholarship for study abroad. That was really important to me.” 

Kelly retired from her role as a professor of English education in 2003 after 26 years at Virginia Tech. The Patricia Proudfoot Kelly Teaching and Learning Scholarship is open to undergraduate students who are preparing for teaching careers in K-12 education or graduate students in the School of Education. The scholarship will cover study abroad expenses for one student each academic year. 

Several years ago, Kelly and colleague Josiah Tlou, professor emeritus of education, received a grant for a cultural exchange with teachers in Malawi, Africa. The experience inspired her to lead more service learning-focused study abroad trips with Virginia Tech students, which she continued for several years after her retirement. During her travels to Malawi, Kelly helped build a library that was stocked with more than 400 children’s books. 

“It was life changing for me,” Kelly said of her travels. “Every year, I got to relive it through the students. It was life changing for them, too. Many of the students have entered international work.” 

Along with spearheading numerous other international educational efforts, she was involved in a 2009 agreement with a Nigerian organization to promote the use of technology in post-high school educational settings. The initiative brought 10 Nigerian College of Education provosts to Virginia Tech for a seminar on modern management of tertiary education. In 2010, Kelly was invited to the country as a consultant for developing teaching standards in its college of education.  

In 2012, Kelly received Virginia Tech’s Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education. The annual award is presented to a faculty or staff member who significantly impacted international education at the university. 

Kelly earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and her doctorate in education from Virginia Tech.   

She said her ultimate hope for the scholarship is that it will broaden students’ perspectives and worldviews.  

“When working in a foreign setting, you come in and you think you are doing good, but you really have to involve the community to make sure the things you are doing are things that they want and need,” she said. 

Kelly stressed that the experience is as beneficial for those providing aid as it is for those receiving it.    

“When our students saw teachers teaching with mostly a chalkboard for learning to as many as 100 pupils who were sitting on the floor, they developed an appreciation for the opportunities they have had,” Kelly said. “As they worked side by side with teachers and pupils, I hope they also developed a sense of our responsibility to contribute to the world.”

Rachel Scopelliti, a senior Russian major at Virginia Tech with minors in Spanish, language science, and international studies, knows the value of international learning experiences.  

While she’s been a Hokie, she has traveled to Daugavpils, Latvia, twice for an immersive summer Russian program; Barcelona, Spain, for volunteer work with children in an underprivileged community; and Costa Rica for an immersive Spanish program. 

"I've learned so much about different countries, lived with so many different people, and experienced so many different cultures,” Scopelliti said. “Each experience impacted my education greatly, primarily in my language comprehension.” 

Scopelliti said there is a study abroad program for everyone. 

“Studying abroad is an experience like no other,” she said. “You meet dozens of new people, grow as a person, learn endlessly about different cultures, language, and more. Whether you're seeking to improve your education, personal growth, or confidence, studying abroad is the way to do so.”