Quentin Daniel Bernhard spent his spring semester at college studying in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Bernhard, a graduate of Northwestern High School, was examining the social and economic development strategies of the four South American countries.

A rising senior at Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Bernhard is pursuing a double major in political science and history.

Bernhard, 21, is the son of Daniel and Jennifer Bernhard of Lynn Township, and the grandson of Eileen and Robert Bernhard of Allentown, and Sue Moniz of Mertztown and Jim Moniz of Bethlehem.

Bernhard applied for the study abroad experience through the School for International Training.

He was admitted to the program for transnationalism and comparative development in South America.

His study abroad experience began Feb. 26 and ended June 14.

During the first two and a half months, Bernhard attended classes in research methods and ethics, transnationalism, development and Spanish, while living with an Argentine family in Buenos Aires.

They helped him immensely with his travels and learning the nuances of Argentine culture.

He also spent some time in La Plata, the capital of Argentina’s Buenos Aires province city.

Bernhard’s fascination with cultural memory and the intersection of the past and the present motivated him to create an independent research project.

His project focused on and analyzed the social construction of collective memory in Argentina through the activities and interactions of different groups in three memory sites.

These locations had been used as clandestine centers of detention, torture and extermination during the country’s most recent dictatorship, from 1976-83.

Bernhard’s trip to South America was his first time outside of this country and he said it made his experience much more profound.

“It was different,” Bernhard said. “I had to be patient and accept what was happening around me.”

In Paraguay, Bernhard visited the capital, Asunción, and studied the poverty, exclusion and human rights violations of the country.

In Brazil, he spent time learning about the politics and economics of the country, visiting Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

In Uruguay, he went to the headquarters of the regional trade organization called MERCOSUR (El Mercado Común del Sur) to analyze the challenges of regional integration, during his visit to the capital, Montevideo.

After visiting Montevideo, Bernhard spent some time exploring Colonia, a historical riverside town.

Bernhard said his most transformative experiences, though, were in Buenos Aires.

He recalled a moment where he had to obtain a new phone to contact his friends and family.

“Having to get a new phone, speaking entirely in Spanish, was frustrating at times but I felt immersed in South American customs,” Bernhard said.

Bernhard was thankful for the study abroad program and after leaving the country for the first time, he is more attentive to values and cultures.

Bernhard offered advice for anyone visiting a foreign country.

“Be patient and watch, you’ll see something new and you never know what might really capture your attention.”