Adventures in Panama

Magdalena Espada Johnnie Holbrook Start Date: Jun 30, 2022 - End Date: Oct 29, 2022
  • Panama City, Panama
  • Chitre, Panama
  • El Palmar, Panama

My Travel Story

by: Magdalena Espada Johnnie Holbrook Start Date: Jun 30, 2022 - End Date: Oct 29, 2022
Hello family, friends, and the world,
Our names are Magdalena Espada and Johnnie Holbrook!  We are spanish teachers at Fairbanks High School and are hoping to take 24 students on a trip of a lifetime to Panama!  We are kindly asking for any support possible to help us fund this trip for some of our students who financially need it to make this happen.  When we started this trip it was open to all in order to provide an inclusive and equitable trip to any student who wanted a life changing experience and who loved the Spanish culture and language as much as  we do!  


Background on us: 
I, Magdalena Espada, am a native speaker of Spanish and have taught Spanish for 20 years, from Kindergarten to AP Literature & Culture, Johnnie Holbrook had a passion for the Spanish language and has taught for 18 years levels 1-4.  Both of us have traveled or studied abroad and know how life changing that can be. 

We decided this Spring that it was time to venture into the world and have our students experience the beauty of traveling and immersing themselves in another country and in the culture they are learning, Spanish!  After two years of uncertainty, covid, and school closures it was time to bring some excitement and opportunity for the future. 

Our Spanish Club chose the destination...Panama!  Requirements for students to enroll were to be in good academic and behavioral standing, have a letter of recommendation from a teacher other than a language teacher, and to be enrolled in the upcoming year in a Spanish language course.  

We could not believe it when we found out that not only did we surpass our goal of 12 students but almost doubled it!  With this came many conversations about how this was going to be funded.  Their parents trust us and we are honored to be able to take them but we are also well aware that for some students this is a fleeting dream and a financial burden due to funding. 


What they have said this will mean to them:
"This Panama trip would provide an opportunity to utilize and experience what I have learned about the Spanish language and culture first hand, in real time. It would allow me to add and improve my knowledge and understanding of the culture and language skills through real life interactions. The Panama trip would provide the chance of a lifetime to experience a new culture and new people, while traveling with a special group exploring this new world together. This is a unique travel opportunity and I'm grateful to have this chance."

"This trip to Panama would give me the opportunity to use my Spanish in a real world setting. The immersive experience that this trip would offer cannot be replicated in a classroom, or taken from a book. I would be able to encounter a new culture and life in another country. It would also give me an opportunity to learn about agriculture in Panama. The climate is different which means that the crops that they grow are vastly different from the ones we grow here. I want to see how a different type of agriculture affects the people of Panama and how it differs from that of Marysville, Ohio. I have always had a desire to travel and learn more about the world, and this trip would help me to do so."

"This trip to Panama will allow me to experience another part of the world before I transition into college life. I’ve been on vacations to places within the states before, but this trip will give me the opportunity to truly see something new for the first time. It’s a place full of new people and a diverse culture that I can’t wait to experience. Seeing Panama will allow me to meet people and give me the chance to explore and try different things. It’s the perfect moment for me to step out of my comfort zone and learn how to grow and adapt to life in a new place. Living in a rural area means that we don’t get to see and experience much diversity in our everyday lives. Visiting another country would allow me the opportunity to see many unique lifestyles beyond the few that I experience here."


About the Trip:
Twenty one students along with three chaperones, possibly four, facilitated through EF Tours, will spend 9 days exploring and learning about Panama.  During our time there we will go to Panama City and learn about and explore the Panama Canal(which one of our students' grandfathers helped build), and also go to Chitre.  In Chitre we will go to a honey farm to learn about the process of cultivating honey.  We will also venture to Iguana Island Wildlife Refuge to see how the help not only iguanas but other animals from becoming endangered.  In our last remaining days we will learn traditions from the locals and build a traditional indigenous hut while also venturing to see how widllife is preserved on Iguana Island Wildlife Refuge.  Some of students are planning on getting course or college credit for this as we have many seniors going on our trip. 


Funds from this donation will be used for: 
Providing four students in financial need with partial scholarship towards their trip which includes:

Roundtrip airfare to/from Panama

Hotel rooms in Panama

Lunch/Dinner everyday while in Panama

Transportation in Panama(in flight airfare and buses)

Fees associated with this fundraiser page


We created this fundraiser as was said early, to provide an equitable and inclusive opportunity to all students, realizing at the same time that this is an expensive endeavor for not only the students but their families.  Most families did not plan or budget for this ahead and we are trying to help them in any way we can.  We made a vow to them that we would do whatever we could to make this happen, that no student, regardless of circumstance would be denied this opportunity.  So any donation no matter how big or small can help!

Even if it's only a $10 donation, Johnnie and I are more than thankful for your assistance in helping with his educational trip of a lifetime.  Our students are out there working jobs, babysitting and participating in any opportunity they can to help them fund their trip. Every dollar helps! Thank you so much for your love and support!  It takes a village, thank you for helping ours!


  • Panama City, Panama
  • Chitre, Panama
  • El Palmar, Panama