During the first section of this course,  the class component you are supposed to take before you study abroad,  we had members of the second part of the class that I am posting from now (494RI) come in and talk about their study abroad experiences. One of the students spoke of his experience studying abroad and volunteering at a mango farm in Colombia through a program called WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.  The basic premise of this program was that volunteers from wherever could come work on registered Organic Farms for  a decided upon length ( anywhere from a day to multiple months)  in exchange for “free” food and board. Instantly, as someone who loves nature and gardening, my interest was piqued. I sought out a similar experience for myself to have during that following winter break. 

My goal was to have a trip where I could meet others from different cultures and backgrounds, and to potentially have an experience where I could practice my Spanish language use. I couldn’t afford to travel all the way to Colombia at the time, and also felt that it might not be entirely safe for me to travel there by myself. Instead, I researched opportunities within the country and landed upon a turmeric farm in Central Florida. I was excited because it looked like a very welcoming space, the work sounded fun, and the people who had left reviews before me were from all over the world: Germany,  France, Mexico, Canada, etc. etc. . 

I spent two weeks on the farm in January 2023.  I would definitely say that it was a life-changing experience, and that I got very lucky with the hosts I signed up with and the other volunteers who I ended up working with. The work was easy, safe, and fun–  almost meditative. My total cost for the trip was just under $200, which included a plane ticket and some gas money I offered to the other volunteers there who drove us around in their cars. I essentially was able to pay for everything else, a bed and three delicious meals a day, through my work. We were only working around 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. In our free time, the other volunteers and I would go for runs, cook and bake together, hike in the surrounding woods, visit local water holes and swim, and play guitar and sing around campfires. The work was so enjoyable that some of us would do more of it in our free time–more time out in the fields digging up the roots, washing the roots, and preparing them to be sent out to the vendors. It was like camp, but better. 

Though many volunteers came and went during my time there and I made many friends that I still stay in contact with to this day, there ended up not being anyone else on the farm with me who knew how to speak Spanish. However, I do believe that if an individual signed up for an experience through WWOOF,  they could make it an integrative Spanish learning experience as well if they selected a location within a Spanish-speaking country or with hosts that speak primarily Spanish. I was lucky and had already completed my integrative experience for my major the summer prior in Madrid in 2022, but I could see WWOOFing as a viable route to completing the integrative major requirement in a very unique, cost-effective, and enjoyable way.

I would definitely recommend this idea to anyone looking for a fun, hands-on getaway, and to future Spanish majors as an opportunity for them to complete their integrative experience component of the course! 

By Livia Iwanicki

I came into UMass as a Spanish major, not because I was set on a career specifically using the Spanish language as its primary concentration,  but because it was a topic that I knew well and that I loved spending my time studying. Over the years, I have begun to use Spanish as a tool to access new experiences and information to figure out what exactly it is I’d like to do in the workforce. Now, in my final year at UMass as an undergraduate, a career in data science seems to be the route I am taking–but how did I get here? Surprisingly, it’s all due to my election of the Spanish major. 

I have always had many interests, academic and personal alike: cooking and food science, farming, creative writing, fashion, sports, psychology, medicine; the list goes on and on.  As a Spanish major with most of my credits from high school carrying over, I had a lot of space to explore all of these curiosities. I took courses on poetry, homesteading, translation certification, and so many more. I enjoyed most all of these endeavors,  but where I really found myself and my path was in integrative experiences,  such as internships and volunteer opportunities. Here is where I used Spanish as a tool to get myself into these situations to explore my many interests. 

One of my first experiences was a translator job at a non-profit in Holyoke, which opened my eyes to a potential career in translation. Although this position was based on my Spanish knowledge, it also afforded me the chance to build relationships with many people within the organization and build on my professional skills.  Another noteworthy experience, and the main pivot point to my current career path, was an internship in a hospital for paraplegics in Madrid, as a data science intern. The position required some level of fluency in Spanish, and I had originally applied for the position in hopes of working face-to-face with the patients at the hospital to explore my interests in working in the medical field.  What I found instead was this: my love for research and data analysis. This newfound love was found through the tool of Spanish language and caused me to apply for a master’s program in data science at UMass. I’m currently in my first year of the Data Analytics and Computational Social Science 4 + 1 Masters Program, and could not be more sure that this is the path for me. 

In conclusion, my main message here is that even if you are a Spanish major not considering Spanish as a main component of a future job, this major can serve to aid in your discovery of what that ideal future looks like for you. I am forever grateful that I chose Spanish as my primary major and will take all that I learned with me as I move forward. 

By Livia Iwanicki

Within the Spanish major, there are many beneficial certifications that can be achieved by a few minor tweaks and additions to the baseline major requirements.  Personally, I have received the Undergraduate Translation and Interpreting Studies Certificate,  which was only two extra courses on top of the major requirements I was already completing. This certification opened doors for me to apply for several internships and gave me a higher level of confidence surrounding my grasp of the Spanish language. In writing this blog post, I knew that I wanted to express my gratitude and excitement over this certification offering. Through more research, I found that there are many more certifications available to Spanish majors. I did not know about these certifications  up until a few weeks ago when I did research more – I think that these are really important tools to share with those who are coming in as a Spanish major to show that you can individualize your journey within this concentration in alignment with your interests and can gain unique experiences that will help build upon a resume. 

 I had been interested in working as a translator or interpreter for some time before coming to UMass and this goal was finally realized through my completion of the Translation and Interpreting Studies Certificate. This is an interest that may not appeal to all Spanish majors,  but luckily there are many more certifications that students can lean into to personalize their experience. For instance,  those who are looking to go into the field of teaching in the future could find interest in the STEP certification offered, which prepares students for the Initial Teacher Licensure and Massachusetts State Teaching Exams. Students must complete two education courses, EDUC 524 and EDUC 513, as well as SPAN 575, PSYCH 305, and three SPANIED practicum courses. Though the requirements for the certification are a bit heavier than the one that I completed,  it may be worth the extra credits if someone is very passionate about teaching as a future profession,  as it is a quick route to receive an impressive achievement on the resume. 

Another certification that I explored was the Certificate in Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, Which is something that my partner  for this project, Christina, had expressed interest in.  There are two different tracks that the student interested in completing the certificate can take:  Track A, with an emphasis on language  that simply adds on two beginning semesters of Portuguese,  or Track B, with successful completion of four courses with Latin American,  Caribbean,  or Latino studies content listed on the available course selection.  So many Spanish Majors choose to study abroad in Europe and concentrate on Spain style Spanish during their time at UMass.  This certification is a great way to expand horizons of Spanish use and learn more about the language within different cultures. 

 The last undergraduate certification that I looked into was one that I definitely would have taken advantage of had I known that it existed: Spanish & Health Certificate. This certification prepares individuals to work within the healthcare field as a bilingual individual. This definitely could have worked well with my Translation and Interpretation Studies Certificate,  as many interpretation jobs are in high demand at hospitals. The Spanish & Health Certificate requires all of the base requirements from the major. Add-ons include SPAN 356, one course from a selection under both the Cultural Diversity in Healthcare concentration and the Culture and Society of the Hispanic World concentration, as well as 2 to 3 credits of a practicum experiential component.  All in all, this is a very achievable certificate given the small number of additional courses that are required alongside the major,  and it is also a certificate that offers skills that are in high demand. 

 Overall, my main goal of sharing this with the future Spanish Majors coming into UMass is to remind individuals that they can make this experience their own unique journey  with certifications that cater to special interests. UMass has a lot to offer, and though I am glad I completed the Translation and Interpretation Studies Certificate, I wish I had known what more I could have added to my plate when coming in in the beginning. Hopefully this helps to share more about the wide variety of offerings within the Spanish language Department so that new students can make the most of them! 

By Livia Iwanicki