“What do you want to do when you graduate?” The inevitable question for all college kids. As an indecisive person with respect to every detail of my life, even the most trivial, this is the question I do everything to avoid. I am a double major in Spanish and public health, two areas in which I feel a lot of passion and curiosity. Everyone always says, “what a good combination!” to which I just nod and smile, not really having considered what makes it so. Before this year, I did not think much about what I could do with both majors post-UMass. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to reflect on how the two complement each other and what I can do with them.  

The intersection of public health and Spanish is very evident in the United States and in our community here in Western Massachusetts. In SPAN 394, we read articles published by the Gaston Institute in Boston on health outcomes among Latinx communities in Massachusetts. Of particular interest to me was the article “A Portrait of Latino Children: The Gap with Non-Latinos in Massachusetts” because it discusses several factors that contribute to the collective health of Latinx children. One of the foundations of the field of public health is the study of the social determinants of health, or factors such as education, neighborhood, socioeconomic status, and others that influence health and access to medical services. Something as small as word choice in medical translation can have a notable impact in health inequities. There are large disparities in the health outcomes of Latinx children compared to non-Latinx children in Massachusetts and across the US. It would fascinate me to further investigate these disparities and work to bridge gaps at the community level.

 Although I still have no idea what career I want to pursue after graduating (indecision prevails), I can now visualize the vast sea of possibilities that combine public health and Spanish studies. The inevitable question has become a little less scary. Whatever your major is, I think it is important to take time to draw meaningful connections between your areas of interest, classes, and interactions through reflection. It may amaze you how much more you learn through exploring these connections and will open your eyes to many opportunities beyond UMass.