A solid education can take you anywhere, and for a Bethlehem Central High School student, that means going on an amazing trip to Costa Rica.

For some, foreign languages just come naturally.

Junior Gabriel Martin has been studying Spanish since he was in sixth grade.

"My siblings took Spanish in high school, and I was looking to have a comprehension of the language similar to them," Martin said.

Not only does he comprehend the language, he’s excelled. Martin is one of 12 high school students from across the country to win a competitive travel scholarship sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

This July, he’ll take off to Costa Rica.

"Extremely excited. I went into it not super, super hopeful, but I was very surprised," Martin admitted.

According to a 2017 study, only 27% of the state’s K through 12 students were studying a foreign language. For Martin, it’s opened doors he never expected.

It's helping him to understand more about the outside world.

"It’s difficult to understand how other people live while you’re just in an enclosed environment within your own community," Martin said. "I think it’s very important to open up your mind to other cultures."

And that's exactly what he’ll have the opportunity to do.