“Okay and…”, is the response I always get when I’m asked “what is your major?” I used to dread the question when at family events or even just making new friends at UMass because I didn’t know the answer. It’s a tough question when there are so many possibilities, yet everyone always asks: are you going to teach, translate, or interpret? Which made it seem as though I was restricted to only those careers. SURPRISE. That is not at all what I am interested in. Taking Spanish 394 with Luis Marentes taught me that there’s more options out there for me. I do not need to stick to the common route. I decided that I will double major: Spanish and Hospitality and Tourism management. I’ve always been interested in the service industry, regarding helping others and making them happy. What I learned in this class, is that using the Spanish skills I have will not only make me a competitive candidate for a job, but also give me a variety of places to work at. Once I graduate, I hope I can use both these “degrees” and work in a Spanish speaking country. Maybe a resort in Punta Cana, or Cancun. Or my home country of Puerto Rico.

Hospitality and Tourism Management offers several courses to prepare its students the best possible for the field. They also offer courses specifically designed for certain aspects of the hospitality industry like event management, food service, club management, and more. I chose to double major with Hospitality and Tourism management because the degree requirements will also help complete the 120 credits required to graduate. I believe as a Spanish major, double majoring is useful to fulfill that 120 requirement that would otherwise be fulfilled with random electives. Along with Hospitality being a personal interest of mine, the Isenberg School of Management offers several opportunities for students like career fairs and networking nights. They require students to fulfill 40 hours in the hospitality industry to have hands on experience in service. Unlike the other majors in Isenberg, HTM requires you to take 3 courses and have at least a 2.7 GPA. It may seem scary or impossible for some to be double majors, but it’s a good way to combine your interests. There are study abroad programs specifically for HTM in Spain and Chile, so you can be exposed to a Spanish-speaking country and experience in the HTM industry through an internship!