If I were to be completely honest, the reason that I decided on becoming a Spanish Language and Culture major came from a realization that I was not going to be happy with the initial major I chose, which was Biology with a concentration on becoming a nurse practitioner. The reason that I knew I wasn’t going to be happy with that choice was because I chose it due to wanting to make my family proud along with that fact that it was a heavy influence on their part, they always wanted me to become something within the medical field. I knew that if I went with their choice I wasn’t living my life to please myself but rather please others. The other reason was because I wanted to explore and be more informed on my own culture and language. I was always interested in learning more about my own history but I never really thought that I could be something I could major in and when I found out that it is a possibility I fully went with it and it was the best choice I have ever made for myself.
Through my experience as a Spanish Language and Culture major, I have learned lots of things, from life lessons to discovering history and literature that I never knew to the truth that is often hidden from people from my professors, my fellow classmates and other staff within the major. Another important aspect that I have learned from this major was the importance of hearing other people’s perspectives and stories because it gives truth to what one is learning, tying personal experiences with what is being taught helps to understand the information better. When I first changed my major from Biology to Spanish, I initially had the goal of being a ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher to younger children because I wanted to be able to provide back to my own community by helping those that don’t have the same resources that I have had in regards to the English language. As I have progressed through the program I realized that although I wanted to help my community I wanted to do so in a different manner, I want to become a physical therapist. The reason for that is because of personal experiences that have happened with my family, my grandmother needed physical therapy and there was a sort of lack of communication because the physical therapist didn’t know Spanish and was unable to properly give the right instructions. Thus causing confusing and some problems, from there I realized the importance of having Spanish speaking professionals in the physical therapy field.
As I completed the program I would have to say that the proudest area(s) that I have completed would be doing my service learning and my Capstone project. The reason that completing my service learning is one of my proudest areas that I worked on is because I was able to not only give back to the community and make connections that would help me later on, but I was able to learn from the experiences that I had. For my service learning I was able to complete in the class SPAN 301S, where I serviced Palenke Arts, an after school art program that serviced the students of MLK Middle School with providing help with the bilingual choir and administrative work. The reason that completing my Capstone project is the other proudest area that I worked on is because I dedicated an entire year working on this project. I dove into Chicana literature discovering the importance of rewriting in the novels Black Widow’s Wardrobe and Death at Solstice, making discoveries that are important to the genre.
As I write this I have completed my B.A. in Spanish Languages and Cultures and I do have plans to continue with my education, and I don’t mean getting my masters. What I mean is that I will continue to expand my knowledge on what I already have developed within the major. I want to expand my language proficiency and learn more about the linguistics aspect through continuing learning about the various rules and words that are being constantly developed, I plan to do so through readings because I believe that is a great way to learn a language due to the fact that it integrates the language within context so it helps to better understand it. I would also like to expand on my literary and cultural knowledge because I believe that it is important to constantly be in the loop with what is happening in regards to one’s culture, for me that would be my chicana identity. I plan to do so through integrating myself within the culture more and learning about what is current and what is important. Overall, I just want to continue what I have built from being in the Spanish Languages and Cultures major.