Traveling the world was never really in the picture for Alonso Arteaga until he became a Vandal.
The University of Idaho senior wanted to travel from a young age, but never thought it would be possible. Arteaga was born in southern Idaho, but moved into his family’s house in Mexico when he was 7 years old.
When he and his family returned to the United States seven years later, he had nearly forgotten how to speak English.
“I had to learn English again,” Arteaga said. “I passed ESL and they put me into regular classes — it was sometimes a struggle, but I made it through.”
Arteaga’s parents are seasonal farm workers, which qualified him for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). While the program, aimed at helping the children of seasonal and migrant farm workers attain a higher education, is a part of multiple colleges, Arteaga said the quality of UI’s CAMP program is what convinced him to enroll at the university.
It was at UI that Arteaga’s childhood dreams of traveling the world became a potential reality.
“I never thought (traveling) was realistic,” Arteaga said. “Then, an opportunity presented itself.”
Arteaga said he realized he could combine his studies with traveling after switching his major his freshman year.
“I took French the beginning of my freshman year and realized I really liked languages,” Arteaga said.
That’s when Arteaga decided to double-major in French and international studies with a minor in Asian studies.
Since his freshman year, Arteaga has traveled to Togo for an internship with the Martin Institute and to Peru on an Alternative Service Break. This fall, he will fly to Chengdu, China, for his third trip abroad through the university.
“When I think, ‘I’m going to China,’ I think, ‘I’ve really made it,’” Arteaga said. “I think of all the sacrifices my parents made or all of the nights I spent studying and I see that it all paid off.”
Bill Smith, director of the Martin Institute, said that Arteaga did not fulfill his dream without putting in the work.
Smith, who has been Arteaga’s professor and academic advisor, said Arteaga always came to class early to talk and explore ideas. When Arteaga applied for the Freeman-ASIA and Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarships to fund his studies abroad, Smith said the UI senior spent two months composing and polishing his application materials.
Smith said Arteaga also chose to add an extra year onto his degree in order to learn Chinese and travel abroad.
“Alonso is something of a polyglot,” Smith said. “He absorbs languages and cultures and has an interest in them, not for the sake of knowing them for himself, but genuinely because he wants to know and interact with people all over the world.”
Smith said that Arteaga isn’t only accomplished in his studies, but also is simply a good person to be around.
“He’s one of the nicest people around,” Smith said. “I think there’s a lot of value in being nice. I feel like people say, ‘Oh, this guy is nice’ because there’s nothing else to say about them, but I have lots to say about (Alonso), and he’s nice.”
Following his graduation in the spring of 2018, Arteaga said he plans to apply for the Peace Corps and hopes to work as a teacher in Asia or the Middle East. Arteaga said one of his more long-term goals is to become a foreign service officer.
“That’s a passion for me — to open up the mind to how much you can do if you speak another language,” Arteaga said. “You can communicate, you can understand another culture’s problems.”
Corrin Bond
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