I came to William & Mary expecting to minor in Hispanic Studies simply to make sure that I kept at least a basic proficiency in the language I’d spent twelve years trying to learn. Now I’m graduating with a double major in History and Hispanic Studies. My freshman advisor was Prof. Carmen Sanchis-Sinisterra and though she’s not teaching at the College anymore, she was the first Spanish teacher who really showed me all I didn’t know and who pushed me to want to learn even more. During Fall of my sophomore year I applied and was accepted to study abroad in La Plata, Argentina and I could not be happier that I chose to study there. My time in Argentina is unequivocally one of my favorite college experiences and I met some of my favorite people while my ability to speak Spanish (castellano) skyrocketed. When I came back, I took a study away class with Prof. Tandeciarz and Prof. Konefal that took us to Guatemala to learn about memory and the aftermath of the armed conflict. The following semester I started interning with the National Security Archives with Prof. Tandeciarz to focus more on the Argentine military dictatorship from 1976-83. It’s been the best learning experience I’ve had on campus and has taken a lot of last-minute turns before the documents we’d been waiting over a year for were finally released. Now, after three years at William & Mary, I’m headed to Costa Rica with the Peace Corps this July to serve as TEFL volunteer for the next two years.