Two local students are participating in cross-cultural learning experiences this month through Bluffton University.

Sarah Diller, the daughter of Gordon and Jodi Diller, and Jonathan Luginbill, the son of Doug and Paula Luginbill, are both participating in a cross-cultural experience in Paraguay, May 9-26.

The two students are in the choral group Camerata Singers and are performing in Paraguay, which is home to a number of ethnic groups, including native tribes, a large Hispanic population, and pockets of European and North American immigrants (primarily Mennonite) who arrived in search of religious freedom and have since become a large economic force in the country.

The students are also visiting the Jesuit ruins - the remnants of the once-thriving Jesuit missions that existed in eastern Paraguay in the 17th century.

Diller is a senior at Bluffton, where she is majoring in music performance with a minor in theatre. She is a graduate of Bluffton High School.

Luginbill is a sophomore at Bluffton, where he is majoring in music.

This experience will fulfill Bluffton's undergraduate cross-cultural requirement that must be completed before graduation. Students can either complete a cross-cultural experience or take six credit hours in one foreign language.