Bienvenidos! Bienvenidas! Bienvenidxs! Welcome!
Welcome to my e-portfolio for my Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures major at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB)! My name is Elizabeth Vasquez-Sanchez. Throughout this web page I will highlight my undergraduate education and fulfillment of degree requirements.
In this welcome page, you will also find my:
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Personal Statement:
Entering college I didn’t know what I wanted to study. I enrolled because my older brother went to college, and that was expected of me as well. I came in as a Collaborative Health and Human Services major because I wanted to be a child and family social worker; I chose the major that seemed the most appealing to me without doing much research. By October of my first semester at CSUMB I decided I wanted to change my major to Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures.
Coming from a low-income, migrant family and community, I decided I would go to college and get a career where I can give back to people like me. The majority of the community members from my hometown are immigrants, lack higher education, and work in agriculture. Because of this, I wanted to find a way to support not only their children, but also them to provide a healthy home life. Once I started doing more research as to what it means to be a social worker, I thought maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle the work. I am passionate about maintaining my culture and language, so I decided to change what was then my minor to my major: Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures.
When I started the program, I was expecting to only develop my writing and speaking skills. Little did I know that I would be developing my writing, speaking, reading, and understanding skills, while also learning more about the language and the cultures where Spanish is the official language. From my major courses, I have found it invaluable to learn, through my linguistics courses, that: there are many dialects and variations of the Spanish language depending on region and many other factors. Learning this, in addition to learning that age affects language acquisition, has taught me to be more understanding of the way people speak, whether it is English or Spanish. I’ve learned that just because I speak one way, not everyone will speak as I do, which has been important to consider in different social settings, as mentioned in Language Proficiency Major Learning Outcome: “Students are able to communicate effectively… in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social… settings and circumstances…”
My courses have opened up many academic interests for me. For example, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition and Mexican history, specifically the conquest and religion. Along the line of these interests, I have realized how communities are marginalized for not speaking the dominant language in the United States and continue to face misrepresentation in legal settings. As a result of learning about these experiences, I have decided to take advantage of my skills as a bilingual individual to become a paralegal. My education and accompanying experiences have allowed me to be more culturally aware, while also introducing areas of study that will ensure my academic, career, and personal success post graduation.
Entering college I didn’t know what I wanted to study. I enrolled because my older brother went to college, and that was expected of me as well. I came in as a Collaborative Health and Human Services major because I wanted to be a child and family social worker; I chose the major that seemed the most appealing to me without doing much research. By October of my first semester at CSUMB I decided I wanted to change my major to Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures.
Coming from a low-income, migrant family and community, I decided I would go to college and get a career where I can give back to people like me. The majority of the community members from my hometown are immigrants, lack higher education, and work in agriculture. Because of this, I wanted to find a way to support not only their children, but also them to provide a healthy home life. Once I started doing more research as to what it means to be a social worker, I thought maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle the work. I am passionate about maintaining my culture and language, so I decided to change what was then my minor to my major: Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures.
When I started the program, I was expecting to only develop my writing and speaking skills. Little did I know that I would be developing my writing, speaking, reading, and understanding skills, while also learning more about the language and the cultures where Spanish is the official language. From my major courses, I have found it invaluable to learn, through my linguistics courses, that: there are many dialects and variations of the Spanish language depending on region and many other factors. Learning this, in addition to learning that age affects language acquisition, has taught me to be more understanding of the way people speak, whether it is English or Spanish. I’ve learned that just because I speak one way, not everyone will speak as I do, which has been important to consider in different social settings, as mentioned in Language Proficiency Major Learning Outcome: “Students are able to communicate effectively… in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social… settings and circumstances…”
My courses have opened up many academic interests for me. For example, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition and Mexican history, specifically the conquest and religion. Along the line of these interests, I have realized how communities are marginalized for not speaking the dominant language in the United States and continue to face misrepresentation in legal settings. As a result of learning about these experiences, I have decided to take advantage of my skills as a bilingual individual to become a paralegal. My education and accompanying experiences have allowed me to be more culturally aware, while also introducing areas of study that will ensure my academic, career, and personal success post graduation.