Army Vet Cavin Hornback’s Journey to Teaching English in Spain

The difference attentive and caring faculty, staff play in a student’s journey 

The lyrics and chord progression of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” are not what you would likely expect to hear in a high school Spanish classroom in Valladolid, Spain. But for Cavin Hornback (Spanish, exercise science ’24), it is just another day teaching English to his students. 

Equipped with an acoustic guitar and infectious energy, Hornback made a deal with one of his classes — they would write a song together in English, and in return, he would learn and perform a song for them in Spanish. Their choice — Bieber’s 2010 hit — happened to be older than all his students. 

From a town of less than 500 people in McDaniels, Kentucky, Hornback’s journey to Spain involved many twists and turns. Belmont’s proximity to home and offering of the Yellow Ribbon program attracted the U.S. Army veteran. Hornback also heard from several student veterans about the support offered by the University to military-affiliated students. 

“I had a great experience with the Veteran Success Team,” he said. “Daina Hunter, Gwen Falin — they are on top of it with timely responses and making everything so easy.” 

Paving a Path to Teaching 

Initially planning to become a physical therapist, Hornback enrolled as an exercise science major and Spanish minor. However, after shadowing in physical therapy, he began questioning if the industry was the right fit for him long term. 

“I sat down with Dr. Patrick Schneider in the exercise science department, who is one of the best professors I ever had, and he suggested I look into teaching exercise science at the university level,” said Hornback. “After thinking about it for a bit, I thought teaching really made sense for me.” 

In the meantime, Hornback had funds remaining from the GI Bill and decided to convert his Spanish minor into a major and study abroad in Spain for the summer in 2024. Before he left, Dr. Natalia Pelaz, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and associate professor of Spanish, suggested Hornback consider participating in the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP).

NALCAP perfectly aligned with Hornback’s goals — it offered teaching experience, travel opportunities and the chance to further develop Spanish fluency. 

After studying abroad, Hornback returned to Spain in September with NALCAP where he will live until June 2025.

Experiences in Valladolid 

In Valladolid, Hornback works with students in vocational programs ranging in age from 12 to adults. His unconventional schedule includes morning and evening classes, lots of walking and intentional preparation that injects his classes with as much excitement as possible. 

“I want to go in and bring the energy and fun,” he said. “When my students think about learning English, I hope they associate it with having fun — that’s my goal.” 

The school Hornback works at has been the highlight of his experience to date. He describes it as a school without abundant resources, but the students he works with every day bring a joy to the classroom that has exceeded his expectations of the job. “They can be talkative sometimes, but they’re great kids.” 

The experience has featured several hardships including housing difficulties upon arriving in Valladolid and the sense of loneliness one can feel in a new place. However, the latter is something he and his roommates have been able to overcome together as they are all from different countries; one roommate is from Spain, one from Italy, one from Germany and the other from Morocco. 

Why Professors That Care Matter 

Hornback plans to continue his teaching career upon returning to the U.S. next summer, possibly returning to the exercise science field. He credits the support of his Belmont professors and advisors for his foray into teaching and supporting his every step. 

“Dr. Pelaz is from Valladolid, and when she was home while I was here, she asked to grab dinner one night,” he said. “Dr. Mitch McCoy reaches out to me while I’m abroad to check in and ask how things are going. Obviously, Dr. Schneider suggested the teaching path in the first place, and he even showed up at my graduation party. The support is incredible.”

Hornback also noted at Belmont, he never felt like a number — he felt like a person who his professors took the time to know, learned his interests and shared programs with him to better his future. 

“They don’t want to just push you along or keep you in a certain program,” he said. “If you have doubts about a program like I did, they will help you with that. Or they will help you find opportunities to dive into the things you love like they did for me and my good friend Lauren Campbell.”