Instilling a love for Spanish through Water Balloons and Slip-and-Slides
During her freshman year at Bethel, Emma Freebersyser ’22 started La Senda Spanish Center to help elementary school students cultivate a love for learning Spanish. Now four years later, the Spanish immersion program has grown so much that Freebersyser plans to work full time as executive director upon graduation this May.
By Katie Johnson ’19, content specialist
April 27, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Biokinetics and Spanish double major Emma Freebersyser '22 is excited to work full time as executive director of La Senda Spanish Center, a business she started during her freshman year at Bethel.
It’s hard to say how many crossroads people encounter throughout their lives, but Emma Freebersyser ’22 certainly met one last summer. The double major had to decide what career path she wanted to pursue immediately after graduation. She could follow her original plans and use her biokinetics major to enter the healthcare field, which would involve preparing for and attending graduate school. Or, she could work full time at La Senda Spanish Center, a business she started her freshman year at Bethel, using her Spanish degree to help elementary school students develop a love for learning Spanish during summer and afterschool programming.
Once she realized La Senda Spanish Center could financially support her after graduation, the decision wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. “I guess I’ll graduate and do slip and slides for the rest of my life,” she says, laughing. “If I love what I do at La Senda, why would I stress out about going to grad school?”
Freebersyser started La Senda Spanish Center to make learning Spanish more than a general education requirement but an exciting part of elementary students’ lives. She had been teaching classes in the Minnetonka school district when parents approached her asking if she had any summer programs. Though she didn’t have the time to prepare anything for the summer 2018 season, she nurtured the idea until she could commit to plan everything over Christmas break during her freshman year at Bethel. She had all the details in order—campers, counselors, payroll, activities, communication, etc.—ready to go for 2019. La Senda Spanish Center’s inaugural summer included two camps hosting a total of 20 kids.
The camps serve as week-long immersion experiences for attendees since camp staff only speak Spanish as they lead events and activities for the students. Typical programming takes place Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Fridays reserved for field trips around the Twin Cities metro area, like the Science Museum, Children’s Museum, Minnesota Zoo, and more. Parents can also choose to have their child start earlier and stay longer—from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.—if that suits their schedule and budget. The camp experience pairs well with the general education students receive during the school year, but Freebersyser’s goal with La Senda is to instill a love of Spanish, which will ultimately help them learn better during their classes. They focus on fun activities like slip-and-slides and water balloons rather than lessons, tutoring, or flashcards.
La Senda currently has 64 students taking classes at Excelsior Elementary for the 2021-22 school year, and this summer, they've doubled the number of camp weeks offered as they plan for 1,718 enrollments.
La Senda and the company’s beginnings reflect Freebersyser’s nature, goals, and dreams as an individual who loves to invest in other people. She describes her personality as “either zero or 100,” evident in how she stumbled into a fruitful business that meets a need specific to the Minnetonka school district. She considered every angle, need, and detail, and she took them each step by step. Today, she’s preparing for 60 kids in each of their 11 summer camps. The counselors are all paid employees fluent in Spanish—including some sixth through eighth graders as junior counselors who want to gain some experience in the working world. Freebersyser serves as executive director and has hired fellow university students and high school students to work on the director team. This February, they had enough resources to start renting an office space, providing room for greater collaboration and growth opportunities.
For Freebersyser, the night before the beginning of each camp feels like Christmas Eve. She loves watching the kids change and grow as they form relationships with each other and their counselors. They seem to thrive in this immersive environment dedicated to making memories and having fun with friends. For one family, La Senda was a space for their homeschooled children to test out life in a formal learning environment before fully committing to a public school system. They had attended every week of every camp so far, and 2022 will be their first time at camp after a full year in a classroom. Watching them grow as humans and learners over the last four years has been lifegiving to Freebersyser.
She also appreciates how her Bethel experience has shaped her. Though she’s looking forward to life after graduation, she’s sad to leave the Bethel community, holding dear memories of Welcome Week and participating in Sunday night Vespers. Quite a few La Senda staff members include Bethel students and graduates, which positively impacts the atmosphere of the camp and community among team members. Freebersyser’s relationships at Bethel have greatly impacted her spiritual growth. “I love how my friends bring me along in their faith journeys,” she says, grateful for the opportunity to do life alongside her friends and classmates. She tries to follow the examples of Christian leaders in her life as she directs this business, because her faith infuses her job and how she forms connections with others.
Right now, Freebersyser’s biggest dream is for La Senda to run on a large scale, to have a site available to host hundreds of children at a time. With the new office space and Freebersyser’s impending graduation, she’ll have greater capacity to begin forming partnerships with more schools outside the Minnetonka school district to bring together more high school counselors and elementary school campers. This summer will be busy with 60 kids registered for each camp along with 40 kids on the waitlist. With the staff ranging from sixth graders to college age adults, the social group creates a positive summer environment for teenagers. “We’re making fun for each other,” Freebersyser says, further proving that La Senda Spanish Center is all about instilling an attitude of fun and joy centered on learning Spanish in community.
Study Spanish at Bethel University
Spanish isn’t just a foreign language anymore—it’s currently the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S and the national language in 21 countries in Latin America and Europe. Spanish is a high-demand language in many fields, including education, business, healthcare, communication and marketing, and psychology. By developing a deeper understanding of culture and identity, you’ll be equipped to engage with Spanish-speaking people from all over the world.