When I first came to UMass, I declared myself a Spanish major without hesitation. It felt like a natural next step, and it felt like me. But during sophomore year, I started doubting myself because of the reactions I was getting from my non-Spanish-major peers. I switched my major to Public Health and turned Spanish into a minor. I tried to convince myself that my new major sounded more “acceptable” to everyone else, meanwhile I was absolutely miserable in all of my new required classes. At a school where it feels like half of the campus is in STEM, telling people you’re a humanities major (and specifically a Spanish major) comes with an instant response:
“What are you going to do with that?”
For years, that question really got to me. Everyone else seemed so sure of their four-year plan, and I spent too long defending my major like it was a flaw. I stayed in Public Health longer than I should have because it felt like having that major made me appear more “serious about school” and employable. But the deeper I got into the major, the more I realized I hated it. I didn’t enjoy the content, I couldn’t see myself in the field, and honestly it felt completely performative.
A year later, I dropped Public Health entirely and went back to being “just” a Spanish major. But what I realized soon after this change is that I don’t owe anyone an answer about what I want to do with my life. I don’t need to map out my next ten years just to justify studying something I genuinely love and care about. And no, I do not want to be a teacher or a translator (the two options people assume are the only ones). Maybe Spanish will be at the center of my future, or maybe it’ll be a smaller piece of a bigger picture. Either way, it’s amazing to already know pre-graduation what you want to do, it’s amazing to not know at all what your future holds, and it’s also amazing to change your mind at any point. None of these options automatically mean that you’ll have things easier or harder or better or worse.
So if you’re a future Spanish major reading this, here’s what I would have wished to hear before my first day at UMass:
Your major does not define the limits of your future.
People will ask questions with weird tones. Some might make assumptions. Others might make you feel like you need to “balance” Spanish with something more “useful.” But their opinions are not your problem. Choosing Spanish means choosing something that expands how you see the world, the way you connect with people, and your understanding of culture, communication, and identity. These are invaluable skills that matter everywhere, and to me personally, they matter much more than knowing how to code or solve a formula. Everyone has their own priorities; just because some things don’t matter to you, doesn’t mean they don’t matter to others, and vice versa.
If you know Spanish is the path that makes sense for you, trust that and lean into it. Don’t let other people’s discomfort with something a little bit different push you into something you don’t want. It’s incredible that you’re majoring in something because you love it. It’s more than healthy to not have your whole life planned out. And you should be super proud of choosing a major that makes you grow not just academically, but personally.