Travel has been an integral part of Emily Landwehr’s career path and beyond.
It was a detoured path which led her to Fox Valley Technical College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She first went for nursing right out of high school. Then she was a veterinary assistant. But it wasn’t the right time or the right fit.
Now at age 30, Emily has found a path paved with meaning.
“I needed a career that I could go home and feel like I made a difference in somebody’s life,” she says. “I stumbled across occupational therapy. It’s a more holistic approach, and I liked all the values they have.”
Emily first started her occupational therapy journey at another college, but that school also wasn’t the right fit. She took a break, traveled to Greece and returned to start fresh at FVTC in January 2025.
When Emily first arrived at FVTC, she didn’t know studying abroad was an option. It is now becoming a defining feature of her story. It started when her instructor Shelly Muche, department chair of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program, informed Emily that she was leading a trip to Guatemala.
The experience included Emily’s program, her passion for Latin American culture and her desire to learn the Spanish language, which are reflected in her past travels, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
“We’re all human at the end of the day, so taking off those lenses of judgement and really being there for one another — that’s what I hope most to get from this experience personally and professionally.”
The program was service-oriented, allowing participants to work alongside Guatemalan therapists at outpatient clinics. Being able to provide service to these populations will require creativity, adaptability and client-centered care.
“It’ll stretch my OT brain to come up with different ways to adapt or ways to service them,” Emily says. “The communities we’re going to may have limited resources or may not be able to receive OT services as frequently. We’re offering different ways to adapt their lives or help with activities that could increase their performance in their everyday life.”
To help prepare for her journey, Emily began applying for scholarships. She was thrilled to learn she was chosen as a recipient of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This federal award is a highly competitive national award given to diversify students who go overseas.
There was one problem: the Gilman could only be used for trips to countries with level one or level two travel advisories. While the cities Emily would be going to were classed as level two, the country of Guatemala had a level three travel advisory.
“Initially I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’ I felt like I should utilize it somehow; it’s a federal scholarship, so not everybody gets it,” Emily says.
Over winter break, Emily worked with Study Abroad Manager Samantha Rosario to come up with a new plan. Emily still wanted to go to Guatemala, as it would benefit her future career. They brought Emily’s interest in learning Spanish together with her desire to have a more immersive experience and came up with a new idea.
Emily found a program at one of FVTC’s affiliate schools, the University of Almería in southern Spain, that fit perfectly. The monthlong program would allow her to more fully engage with the culture, learn Spanish and gain credits and immersion hours toward a certificate or a degree in Spanish.
The excursion will also be Emily’s first time traveling solo overseas.
“I’m excited, but I’m also nervous,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to travel alone once in my life. I think a lot of people do not only to learn about the place you’re going but to learn about yourself and how you figure things out, meet new people and learn how you handle being alone.”
Although her trips to Guatemala and Spain will be different — in terms of content and development — Emily knows both will ultimately contribute to her becoming a stronger, more empathetic OT practitioner. Building “global competency” will help her serve any community she is a part of.
“We’re all human at the end of the day, so taking off those lenses of judgement and really being there for one another,” Emily says. “That’s what I hope most to get from this experience personally and professionally.”
Interested in a global educational experience?
Study Abroad is headed to Thailand, Belize, Greece and more in 2027!
