I wish I had a better story for what drew me to Hispanic Studies or how I ended up in this major, but ultimately I was one of the many students who studied Spanish in high school and just wanted to keep the language up. I never guessed that I would spend hours talking with friends and professors about what Hispanic Studies was, nor that I would make so many friends both in the major and around the world thanks to the opportunities I’ve had with the department.
I lived in La Plata, Argentina for five months, worked over a summer at the Embassy of Spain, and met various artists and and figures closer to home, but what the professors and classmates who have been there with me have taught me is that it’s not necessarily those experiences that change you, it’s the questions that you ask yourself about all of those experiences. And through all of my disagreements and worries, my struggles, both academic and emotional, the Hispanic Studies department has been a place where I could formulate those questions and slowly work to understand the university, national and international contexts a little bit better.