Claudia Bermudez, Rebekah Campbell and their friends washed cars for four hours on Sunday at a gas station.

Bermudez and Campbell, member of the multicultural Sigma Theta Psi sorority, are raising funds to attend a two-week educational trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico.

The two graduate students are pursuing their teaching credentials.

Bermudez was born and raised in Mexico and immigrated to the United States 14 years ago. She learned Spanish as a youngster and also received a degree in Spanish from Sacramento State.

She plans to teach Spanish and English as a second language. From her trip, she hopes to learn more about Spanish grammar and gain knowledge of the Mexico educational system.

The weekday mornings will be devoted to learning Spanish, at the individual’s level. The groups will be small with five students or less. The teachers are local, competent and experienced.

The afternoons will include seminars taught by Peter Baird, the program leader and a Sac State associate professor in the bilingual/multicultural education department. He will discuss various topics, such as the strengths and weaknesses of the Mexican educational system facing the students, families and teachers; immigration; globalization; narcotic trafficking, as well as convey the understanding of Mexican arts, culture and history.

Baird has co-authored the book “Beyond the Border: Mexico and the U.S. Today.”

Baird said another goal of the program is to immerse students in learning Spanish and about Mexico. One way this is accomplished is through a home-stay with a native family that speaks little English or usually none at all.

One segment of the excursion will include a tour of an elementary school to meet students and teachers. The trip participants will have one of the weekends to explore Cuernavaca’s museums, markets and villages at their own expense.

This is the second group Baird will take to the region. The journey begins June 28 and ends July 12. Anyone is welcome to attend; one may be from the Sac State campus or from the community. Basic Spanish is taught at the beginning, immediate or advanced levels, depending on the person’s initial skill assessment. An individual may continue to stay after the official trip ends for an additional fee to learn more Spanish at the language school or to sight-see other Mexican cities.

The total fee of $1,395 includes receiving three units of academic credit either as an undergraduate or graduate student, the Spanish classes, the seminars and a home-stay (double-occupancy), which includes three meals a day. However, a person must pay for his or her own roundtrip airfare. There is a $12 fee to take an hour-long bus ride from the airport to the semi-urban town of Cuernavaca.

Tom Higgins, a graduate counseling major and one of 13 participants who went on the trip last summer, said he had a fantastic time. He went because he wanted to improve his Spanish skills and to learn about the Mexican culture as well as about the educational, social and political systems.

“It was an enjoyable, festive and really productive (time). I learned a lot of culture and I learned a lot of language,” Higgins said. “It’s a fabulous experience and I encourage just about anyone to try it. If you’re interested in Mexico and interested in speaking Spanish, immersion is the way to go.”

There is still time to apply for the trip, but the deadline is May 16. There will be a trip orientation on June 4.For more information, contact Baird at (916) 278-4916 or [email protected].

Leonard Low can be reached at [email protected].