West High Students Explore, Learn and Grow in the Dominican Republic

This past summer, Hazelwood West High students Jameer Belton, Jamar Leach, and Julieth Bonilla-Pinacho embarked on a transformative journey to the Dominican Republic, exploring culture, adventure, and personal growth over nearly two weeks.

For senior Julieth Bonilla-Pinacho, the journey was an experience she initially wasn't sure would happen. West High Spanish teacher Ms. Joanne Appleby, who has organized student trips through EF Tours since 2016, first introduced students to the opportunity. Julieth was hesitant because of the cost and the amount of time she would need to spend away from home. Her mother ultimately surprised her by signing her up for the trip.

“I have been doing student trips with EF Tours since 2016. I love taking students to new places and giving them new experiences,” Appleby said. “Not only does it give them a chance to see and use Spanish in the real world, but it opens them to new experiences and builds their confidence.”

That opportunity to step outside the classroom was central to the experience. Students participated in a variety of hands-on, outdoor, and cultural activities throughout their experience.  Although some activities pushed students beyond their comfort zones, Julieth said the challenges made the experience even more rewarding. “We did pottery, snorkeling, zip lining, hiking, surfing, and whitewater rafting,” Julieth recalled. “Whitewater rafting was really scary, but it was really fun.”

The trip also brought students together with peers from across the country. Because Appleby travels with smaller groups, Hazelwood West students joined students from Iowa and Minnesota, creating opportunities to form friendships with people they might never have met otherwise. “Because I have small groups, we combine with students from other parts of the United States, so students get to meet new people and make friends from around the country,” Appleby said.

For Julieth, those connections have continued beyond the trip, with ongoing contact with friends she met, showing how travel can create lifelong relationships and meaningful experiences. “It’s super interesting to know, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m friends with this person because I went on a trip with them when I was 16,’” Julieth said.

As a Mexican-American student who speaks Spanish, Julieth also found personal connections to the culture she encountered in the Dominican Republic. She noticed differences in accents, slang, and food, while also appreciating the similarities that helped her connect with local people. She remembers residents welcoming the students into their homes for meals and describes the people she met as “super nice” and “super welcoming.”

The experience also challenged some of Julieth's expectations about international travel. Before leaving, she worried about being away from home and wondered whether the trip would be safe. Instead, she found herself surrounded by welcoming people and immersed in experiences she never could have had at home.

Perhaps the most memorable moment came when Julieth saw the ocean for the first time. She was struck by the Dominican Republic's natural beauty and the contrast between its nature-filled surroundings and the more urban environment she was accustomed to seeing at home. “I feel like over there, it’s very nature-oriented,” Julieth said. “You’d walk the streets, and there’d be fruit trees, and you could just go up and pick it.”

Seeing the ocean for the first time also sparked a new passion for travel. “It kind of just lit a flame in me,” Julieth said. “I need to go to all these different places. I want to go to all these different places.”

For Appleby, creating those moments of discovery is exactly why she continues to lead international student trips. After traveling with students to Costa Rica and Spain, she wanted West High students to experience the Dominican Republic—and explore a country she had never visited herself. “I wanted to try out the Dominican Republic and give students a chance to see a new country,” Appleby said. “It was my first time there, too!”

The experience has already inspired Julieth's next adventure. She plans to travel to Italy following graduation, an ambition she says was fueled by what she experienced in the Dominican Republic.

Looking back, Julieth encourages other students to embrace travel opportunities, even if they feel uncertain at first. “I think the advice I would give to them is just to do it,” she said. “Going on that trip really gives me a perspective of the world that I didn’t have before.”

For Julieth and her fellow West High travelers, the Dominican Republic offered lessons that extended far beyond the classroom. They practiced language skills in real-world settings, experienced another culture, met people from across the country, challenged themselves through new activities, and discovered the confidence that comes from stepping beyond what is familiar.

As Julieth put it, “If people have the opportunity to, then they should take it. I think that you only live once and you just have to take all the opportunities you can.”