As I look back on my last four years here at UMass, I have a few regrets.

My first regret is not choosing the Spanish major in the first place. As a Senior in high school, I said I wanted to study Spanish and become a teacher. As a freshman in college, I chose to be a Biochemistry major. “Why?” you ask, well I didn’t think Spanish teachers made as much money as Physician’s Assistants did. I didn’t realize that choosing my passion over money would make me happier until after three semesters of stress and bad grades.

My second regret is not doing any type of internship or volunteer work. The exposure to the Spanish language and involvement in the community would have only added to my experiences here at UMass. There are so many different opportunities for volunteering such as tutoring at Amherst Public Schools and service-learning classes; opportunities I didn’t learn about until my senior year. Had I took the initiative to find these opportunities earlier on, I think I would have more insight on what I might want to do in the future.

My third, and final regret, is how I decided to spend my abroad experience. There were so many opportunities for speaking the Spanish with natives, and have language exchanges with other students, but I never took those opportunities. At the end of my time abroad, I felt like I didn’t speak enough Spanish.

At the end of the day, I still have the “everything happens for a reason” mindset. I do truly believe that every step I have taken throughout my four years at UMass have shaped who I am.