When I applied to UMass Amherst I was solely interested in Isenberg School of Management. I have always had a strong interest in majoring in business, however, when I was rejected by Isenberg my interests needed to shift. I chose to major in Spanish because I had always wanted to minor in it and I thought to myself, “why not?”. My parents encouraged me that being bilingual appealed to employers regardless of the job.

I enrolled in multiple Spanish classes and seminars, following the major core list provided to my on my spire, not with much interest, but because I had to. I participated in group activities in class, occasionally raised my hands to answer questions, and dreaded those oral exams. I basically was going through the motions in each class until Spanish 394. Spanish 394 actually caught my interest, not only because of Luis’ sense of humor, or the interesting lectures, but because of how he forced us to open our eyes and realize what college is all about. We are not here to have fun or to “survive” our classes. We are here to prepare ourselves for what comes next. Luis opened my eyes to my dreaded future beyond college and forced me to imagine a life with a degree in Spanish- a life that I wouldn’t have been able to picture a year ago, but one that I now hope for.

Since taking this class I am still interested in the business field. However, I am no longer taking Spanish to put “bilingual” on my resume. Instead, the Spanish language is now a big part of what I want to do in my career. I now hope to one-day work in the field of international business. I want a career where I can travel and work with Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Latin America. I believe that my skills are most useful in areas beyond the United States and that is what is most important to me. I plan to apply to study abroad at the Universidad de Deusto in  Bilbao Spain next Spring, a suggestion given to me by Luis. This program is perfect for me as it offers classes in both Spanish and English pertaining to all forms of Business including Marketing, Operations and Info Management, Hospitality and Tourism, and even Business Law.

I now believe that it is important to pick a major that you can see yourself interested in for the rest of your life- not a major that you think you’re good at. Although I did not see myself interested in Spanish long-term, I am grateful that Spanish 394 opened my eyes to other possibilities. There is a lot out there for Spanish-speaking people- Don’t underestimate it like I did!