Category Archives: After UMass

Bilingual Education

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It’s okay to change majors. When I came to UMass, I didn’t really know what I wanted to study or do as a career. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to minor in Spanish. I always enjoyed my Spanish classes in middle and high school so when I came to college, I wanted to further develop my skills. I also wanted to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Spanish-speaking world beyond just learning the language itself. I came in as a computer science major and found that I didn’t like it. I didn’t know what else to do so I switched to accounting my sophomore year. The summer after my sophomore year I worked at a summer camp designed to prevent summer learning loss. It made me realize that I wanted to work with kids in an educational setting. I decided that I wanted to become an elementary school teacher, but it was too late to change majors and still graduate on time with only four semesters left and going abroad for one of them. Continue reading →

Siobhan Elvin’s journey from SpanPort to District C-11

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My journey with studying Spanish and foreign languages started about 12-13 years ago at Boston Latin School; for whatever reason, I opened a Spanish book for the first time, and I instantly fell in love with the ability to communicate with people in another way. For me, it was that simple, and I couldn’t get enough. Spanish to me was like a secret code that I could talk to some friends in but not others, which fascinated me. I couldn’t help but love learning how to speak with people from different parts of the world, so we could understand each other and form relationships through our common thread: Spanish language, history, and culture. Continue reading →

Reach out to your professors and advisors, they are here to help you succeed!

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When I first got to UMass, I was very shy about advocating for myself. When I had any type of issue, I would usually avoid it instead of talking to my advisor (Luis Marentes). I have since come to realize the importance of meeting with advisors and appreciate all Luis has done for me over the past 4 years I’ve been here. As I’ve gone through many ups and downs during my time at UMass, I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is to not be afraid to advocate for myself. If I don’t do it, no one else will do it for me.

This semester is my last semester at UMass. This past September, I was enrolled in an intensive intermediate Italian course. It turns out that I hated it and needed to find a new class to switch into fast before the end of the add-drop period. With no luck finding anything on my own, I decided to reach out to Patricia Gubitosi, who I’ve had the pleasure of having as a professor and advisor. I told her about my dilemma, and she put me in contact with Danielle Thomas of the Spanish and Portuguese department. Professor Thomas does a lot of community work with Spanish speaking communities in and around Amherst. When I met with Professor Thomas, she told me that I could do an independent study with her. I had no idea what an independent study was before our meeting. I honestly thought it was something that graduate students do. During our meeting, she told me she was working on a research study, looking at the linguistic backgrounds of native and non-native Spanish speakers. She proposed that I could help with the study by doing data collection. Basically, my job would be interviewing Spanish speaking participants and doing several speaking activities with them. At first, I was a little bit nervous because I’m naturally a timid person, and feel like I’m not the best at talking with people. But I wanted to give it a chance because I knew it would get me out of my comfort zone. Continue reading →

Fulbright Plans after Graduation

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What is Fulbright?

I am graduating very soon, and while I am very excited for what is to come, I am also nervous to start a new chapter since UMASS has been such a great place to call home for the past couple of years. UMASS has also prepared me very well for post-grad life and has supported me greatly in making post-graduation plans. There are many options after graduation, it can become very stressful. Should I go straight to grad school? Should I get a job right away? What jobs should I look for? I went through these questions in my mind. I always knew I wanted to travel and live abroad for a while, but also wanting to add to my teaching resume. I discovered Fulbright, which is a highly competitive government based scholarship award. Recent graduates can either do research in another country or be an ETA or English Teaching Assistant. I applied to be an ETA in Spain which is a great fit with my Spanish major and education minor. The process of applying is pretty lengthy and time-consuming so I highly recommend giving yourself plenty of time to apply. I cannot recommend enough applying through UMASS, you can apply at large with the rest of the nation, but ONSA, the Office of National Scholarship Advisement will support every step of the way. They read your essays and will answer any questions or doubts you have. They are located right here on campus, in the honors college. Continue reading →

How I found my passion through the Spanish major

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I am currently an interpreter at Crocker Farm Elementary in Amherst. I work with first-grade students and love every second of it. I originally had plans to be a Spanish teacher in high school or middle school, but that age is really tough. I like working with younger students. I thought my major in Spanish would only allow me one job, a Spanish teacher. However, being an interpreter, I learned that there is so much more I can do with my major. There are kids that really need extra support and my major allows me to give them that. Continue reading →

Why I became a Spanish major, and why you should too

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Surprising to most people, growing up in a Latino household, I never wanted to speak Spanish with my family. I think it was a matter of my shyness but also a lack of confidence when it came to accepting my culture. Although I never spoke Spanish at home, I began taking Spanish classes in 7th grade. All throughout my school career, Spanish was a class I always excelled in. It was where I felt most comfortable and where I would begin the process of appreciating this beautiful language. I had the most confidence in my listening skills. I could always understand everything my teachers would say in my advanced classes because I would hear my parents speak Spanish on a daily basis. However, when it came down to actually speaking Spanish, I felt like I was missing self-confidence and the native accent of someone more fluent. Continue reading →

Going Abroad After UMass

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As a transfer student, I didn’t feel like I had enough time to spend an entire semester studying abroad during my time at UMass. I would have had to start figuring out all the logistics during my first semester on campus and then leave for my second semester. I potentially could have studied abroad during my senior year, but I also had to think about completing my Honors College thesis. While I don’t regret my decision to stay at UMass instead of spending a semester abroad, I am determined to find another way to go abroad after graduating. Continue reading →

Communication Disorders + Spanish

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My name is Christine Brennick, and I am currently a junior here at UMass. I am double majoring in Communication Disorders and Spanish. While these are two completely different fields, they are both related through language. My classes in communication disorders and Spanish are very different and at times I feel as though they are totally separate pursuits. However, I plan to take a few classes that link the two together including Hispanic Linguistics and Spanish Phonetics, two classes that I had to take in English for communication disorders. While these two majors do not complement each other as clearly as some other combinations, I know that pairing the two will be complementary for my career. Continue reading →

Career Decisions, Being Multilingual, and the Spanish Major

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What is it like to be multilingual? Languages have always been a passion of mine since the time I was a child. I am a native speaker of Greek, and being a native speaker of Greek has helped me cognitively to pick up the Spanish language. I started taking Spanish in 7th grade, and continued to take Spanish courses all throughout my years of secondary education. When I first started taking Spanish in the 7th grade, I was able to pick up on it easily because being a native speaker of Greek helped me to in addition to remembering a few Spanish words from the TV shows that I used to watch when I was a child, such as Sesame Street. After I graduated high school, I started college at Middlesex Community College where I had the opportunity to take Spanish courses. However, at the community college there was no such thing as a Spanish major. I did continue to take Spanish courses at Middlesex, and I knew that I always wanted to pursue a career where I got the opportunity to use Spanish, but I was not sure exactly what I wanted to do back then. At one time, I was doing some research on careers where Spanish is often used, such as a translator, interpreter, or even a teacher. In the beginning, I thought that I wanted to be an interpreter, Continue reading →