My decision to enroll in the Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures program at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), was born out of my interest to learn more about the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. Having changed my major from Collaborative Health and Human Services to Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures, all along I knew that I wanted to serve underrepresented communities, but at the time, I did not know how I would.
Starting the program I only expected to develop my writing and speaking skills, little did I know that I would be expanding my knowledge in cultures, speaking, writing, and listening. Although I initially did not have a particular goal in mind with the major, I was hoping that the skills I learned would help me prepare for any career interest that I decided to pursue. Indeed, this happened. Upon completing my major requirements, I decided that I was interested in legal studies, with a concentration in immigration law. Although my coursework was not related directly with immigration law, hearing about immigration stories from classmates and class assignments, I was intrigued in pursuing this path. Through linguistics and cultural internalization courses, I learned the importance of considering cultural and dialect differences among different audiences. Along with this invaluable information, I have improved my language proficiency through courses in terms of interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication. In addition to that, my linguistic courses have allowed me to feel more comfortable with formal register, both in Spanish and English. Lastly, through my literature courses, I learned how to be analytical and critical about the text that is in front of me, but also I learned how literature can help me become aware of issues that I was not previously aware of. Granted that a major in Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures, at first glance, may not seem to prepare me for a career in legal studies, I would argue otherwise. I strongly believe that all the coursework has prepared me to be analytical, prepare for research, and develop important skills when communicating in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes - all which are important as a paralegal or lawyer.
As much as I am thankful to have developed these skills, I am most proud of seeing how I have learned to take my Spanish-speaking skills to another level. I felt confident in speaking Spanish prior to my education at CSUMB, but leaving CSUMB, I feel that I am prepared to navigate myself in a professional and a daily setting. Similarly, leaving my undergraduate education at CSUMB, I feel that my writing skills have improved. Though my courses mainly focused on writing in the Spanish language, I have been able to transfer those skills to English. Despite being grateful for my education, I believe there are several ways to learn, both in Spanish and English. One of the things I believe to have the potential to enhance my educational experience and the knowledge acquired would be to have more experience being able to use my bilingualism in a setting outside of the classroom, whether it be in a local community or in a Spanish speaking country. In addition to the practice that we have in the classroom setting, I think that being able to communicate and interact with a community of our target language would allow me to flourish at an interpersonal and linguistic level. On top of continuing my education at an interpersonal and linguistic level, another goal of mine is to continue to further develop my use of formal register, through practice in professional and academic settings, and through literature.