Author: mxblum

The Hispanic Studies faculty had a profound impact on my W&M experience, always encouraging me to extend my learning beyond the classroom. Through summer study abroad in Cádiz and individual research on the body of work of Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, I made the most of my Hispanic Studies education. Profesora Stock’s Mapping Cuba class greatly impacted my Hispanic Studies experience, and is one of the most valuable courses I took in my time at W&M. As part of the class, we met and interviewed Oneida González, a Cuban filmmaker who I have since had the pleasure of meeting again during a visit to the U.S. We also translated our interview with Oneida and subtitled one of her short films, two very unique projects that are among my most important educational experiences as a W&M student.

In an effort to keep up with my Spanish, I will be interning for two months at the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. over the summer. In January 2017, I plan to enter the field of public accounting as a member of the tax staff of Ernst & Young in McLean, VA. I can only hope that EY will provide me with an opportunity to use my Spanish, as the Spanish language has always been and will always be one of my true passions.

My name is Christina Alcorta and I’m an International Relations and Hispanic Studies double major. I knew coming into college that I wanted to continue my Spanish classes because I have family members in Argentina that I wanted to be able to communicate and visit with. I was expecting more grammar and vocabulary lessons but I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the intense, cultural focus of the Hispanic Studies program. During my time at the College I have been able to discuss and analyze gender relations along the Mexico-Texas border, learn about the various culinary traditions and their significance throughout regions of Spain, and during my final semester I was able to study one of the most formative events in Spanish history, the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regimen. Through the Hispanic Studies program at William and Mary I have been able to study abroad in Cadiz, Spain, one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. These classes and experiences have been a defining part of my time at William and Mary. I hope that I can continue to add to them post-graduation.

One of the best experiences of my life was studying abroad. I was fortunate enough to study at Science Po Lille where they were so welcoming. Lille became my home away from home. While I have studied French since the 7th grade my French exponentially improved during the six months as I took French classes in France. Through study abroad I was able to travel to make friends and connections from a myriad of countries. I now have a better view on the world and other cultures that will serve me well as I hope to work in diverse school environments.

Two of my favorite classes at William and Mary were taught by Magali Compan. She challenged me to work hard and I can honestly say my writing improved thanks to her class. I loved learning about the problems faced by francophone areas all around the world. Another amazing class opportunity I had was to do an independent study. This semester I was able to work on French graphic novels. Graphic novels have always been my favorite medium so when Michael Leruth suggested I look at Raid Sattouf I was excited to channel my love for graphic novels and further my knowledge on the French and Francophone world.

As far as post graduate plans go, I plan to move to Boston, Massachusetts and attend Northeastern University in the fall. I am going to be pursing a masters in science for Applied Educational Psychology and a certification in school psychology. I am excited to use what I learned at William and Mary as well as my language skills to be able to reach out to people of different cultures and backgrounds.

As a Freshman, I had no intention to major or minor in French – I was simply taking classes at my own leisure to make my science-heavy course load a little bit more tolerable. I enjoyed classes so much that I decided to minor, then major in French. My favorite class was Prof. Rabalais’ course on francophone cultures of North America. I would say my favorite experience with the department was studying abroad in Montpellier with Prof. Leruth, and Prof. Compan.

German Literature class was the first time I explored a topic for a paper that I was truly excited about. I realized I could connect the text to a theme in the world of visual arts. Suddenly I felt that I had important thoughts and I wanted to get them down on paper. Since then I’ve enjoyed analyzing German literature and film, whilst expanding my language skills. I traveled abroad to Potsdam where I stayed with a wonderful host family who I still keep in touch with. I could not help but study abroad a second time in Vienna, where I spoke German almost exclusively and could speak proficiently for the first time.

I am doing a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship somewhere in Germany for 10 months. Afterward I will return to the United States to get my Masters in Fine Arts in painting.

First of all, I really enjoyed each of the French courses that I took at William & Mary. I learned a lot not only about French & Francophone language and culture, but also about larger applicable ideas outside of the class context. Both of the courses that I took with Magali Compan stressed thinking outside of preconceived notions about people or places — which is an exceptionally useful and important tool to have as a critical thinking adult. If I learned nothing else, it is to be wary of binary systems. I am also overwhelmingly appreciative of the push I received from the department to study abroad in Paris with IFE — which was both challenging but immensely rewarding. I learned more than I would have imagined, found a home outside of my own hometown and Williamsburg, and solidified my personal and professional interests. A French & Francophone Studies major is a lot more than speaking French and reading Baudelaire. It very much molded me into the individual, in both a personal and academic sense, that I am today!

I am tentatively working for Abt Associates in the field of international development, specifically within international health in Bethesda, Maryland. The project that I will be a part of works to protect individuals within twelve countries in Africa from malaria through Indoor Residual Spraying — a preventative measure. I will work on the accounting and finance side of the operation, assisting a larger team with logistics and work of that nature. I am both excited and incredibly fortunate to have found a job working in an international capacity right out of the gate!

In late summer of 2012 after already completing the dreaded online alcohol.edu, I was notified that I had been awarded a scholarship to study in Chongqing, China for a full academic year. I spent the next month hurriedly figuring out my plane flight, how to defer admission at WM for a year, and obtaining a visa. I spent my first year of college at Chongqing University where I studied Chinese language and culture and learnt so much more!

When I came “back” to William and Mary, I took Chinese culture classes which I loved, especially Tang Laoshi’s Chinese Literature and Chinese Poetry classes. The Chinese cosmological view and so much of the culture really came through in those two classes, and I could actually connect what I learnt there and relate it to what I experienced in China. I knew I wanted to live in the Chinese language house my second year here, so I applied for it and was assured I would be living there. However, due to a Residence Life Housing Office error, I ended up in the Italian House! The Casa Italiana was great, and I was so happy to chat with the house tutor Veronica Fantini at random hours of the night, as well as cook with her. In the Spring, I made one of the best decisions of my time here and took Professoressa Boyle’s Italian 103. She was a great teacher and reminded me of my love of all languages. I was excited to take Italian and happy that I could start talking with my grandparents in Italian, although I later learned they don’t speak “that grammatical, high-class, standard Italian.” Needless to say, under the guidance of the great Boyle, I took Italian 203 in the Fall and LOVED IT! I also took Professor Calvin Hui’s Chinese Senior Seminar on Shanzhai or Fake culture in China which was amazing. Finally, I have to thank Dr. Lu who I wish had arrived here sooner, but at least I got to take one Chinese Cinema class with her. She is great!

I will be learning how to drive, hopefully going to some language schools like Svenska Skolan to learn languages not offered at W&M, working at Aldi’s or Costco, my two absolute favorite stores, all while biting my nails and applying for jobs with the government. I will also work part time with the National Language Service Corps as a translator and interpreter.

I have truly enjoyed all of the Hispanic Studies Classes I have taken throughout the years, especially the classes that have challenged me the most because they were outside of my comfort zone such as my two senior seminars “Dictatorship Cultures” and “Franco and his Ghosts”, as well as “Urban Images” with Professor Longo. Majoring in Hispanic Studies has opened up so many opportunities that I didn’t even know were available. In “Mapping Cuba: Culture and Identity” with Professor Stock, I got the chance to translate passages of the book of a Cuban cinematographer, Oneida Gonzalez, and add English subtitles to a film she directed. I am also so lucky to have been able to study abroad in Cadiz (Summer 2015) and Seville, Spain (Fall 2015). They were such great experiences that I will never forget. This summer I plan on volunteering as a Medical Interpreter for migrant farmers in the Eastern Shore, an opportunity that came about from a Medical Interpretation class I took with Professor Arries this semester that I am very excited about. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had as a result, and the experiences to come.

I can barely begin to describe the impact the Hispanic Studies major has had on my life; even the friendships I have today wouldn’t have been possible without my time in the Casa Hispánica. I’ll always remember the classes that brought to life the stories of the Spanish speaking world, classes like Prof. Greenia’s “Hispanic Folktales” and Prof. Longo’s “Cien años de soledad”. The major also undeniably prepared me to make the most out of the La Plata, Argentina exchange program. I know so much of the meaning behind powerful interactions with former political prisoners, indigenous leaders, and student activists would have been inaccessible without my comfort with cross-cultural communication.

It is my current goal to make the most of my cross-cultural communication skills by working towards a career in immigration law. I plan to work for a few years in the non-profit sector or a legal position before attending law school; I’m not quite ready yet to face the prospect of all my classes being taught in English.

I have always loved learning languages and this was the main reason that I enrolled in Chinese 101. As I continued to take more classes in the Chinese department, I began to love the language more and more. All of the professors are extremely helpful and truly want to see your Chinese improve and see you succeed in the future. Being able to study Mandarin at Qinghua University in the summer of 2014 was an opportunity that I will always appreciate. I was able to focus on just language classes and this really helped to improve my vocabulary and confidence in speaking Chinese. I also met many new friends who had the same interests as me and was able to live with a number of them the following fall in the Chinese House. Living in the Chinese House was a lot of fun and there was a strong sense of community among the residents. After I graduate I hope to continue studying Chinese, hopefully in China!

My experience with the German Department has been an amazing part of my undergraduate career. I started at William and Mary as an International Relations major, but as I fulfilled my language requirement with German I discovered amazing classes with inspiring professors, fascinating discussions, and opportunities to improve my writing and interpretation skills. I decided to double major and was able to focus on my interest areas, especially on a spring break German Department trip to Switzerland and Germany to study Early Modern Jewish life. My senior seminar was with a professor I had taken many courses with and other seniors I knew well, which helped us have amazing discussions and a really personalized experience characteristic of my time in the William and Mary Modern Languages Department.

After graduation, I will move to Charlotte, North Carolina and start work as a Business Associate at Red Ventures, a marketing and advertising firm which is expanding internationally.

The French and Francophone Studies Department was, as the French say, génial!

The most important thing the Hispanic Studies Department taught me is that education is about more than grades. I was a transfer student and I took two classes in Hispanic Studies my first semester at William & Mary, with Professor Root and Professor Cate-Arries. The classes were both challenging compared to anything I had taken before and I felt so behind that I never wanted to speak and was embarrassed to go to class. I visited both professors in office hours. Professor Cate-Arries told me to say a something every day, even if I had to write it down before I said it or was worried that it wasn’t insightful enough. She was sure it would be. Professor Root told me not to worry about my letter grades because if I learned a lot but got a C on every assignment, she would be happy. Knowledge, rather than grade percentage, should be my goal. My Hispanic Studies classes never stopped being a challenge but I learned to take more risks and focus more on my progress and successes than my failures. I loved taking classes in Hispanic Studies and never thought I would be a major in the department but the credits started adding up and, in part due to some light pressure from Rio, here we are. I am a better student and a better person because of the endless support and invaluable advice the faculty of the Hispanic Studies Department have given me since my first semester at William & Mary.
I have no certain plans yet for after graduation but I am currently waiting to hear back from the Spanish Department of Education regarding placement in the auxiliares program to be an English language teaching assistant in Spanish public schools.

My adventure through RPSS began my freshman year in a fantastic course on Russian Myths and Legends. I was fascinated by the richness of a culture that Rocky and Bullwinkle had always taught me was foreign and taboo, and I soon realized that if I hoped to learn any more about it I would need to do so in its native language. In the next year I dove headlong into the 100-level Russian courses and, in one the best decisions of my college career, I chose to pursue the six-week summer study abroad trip to St. Petersburg and Moscow. I decided the best way for me to learn this deeply dissimilar language and unfamiliar culture was to take away all of my other concerns and focus all my efforts on this singular task. To put it simply, I wanted to know if I could do it. Two years later, I still remember how good I felt overhearing an Italian student, Pietro, whispering to my host mother as I passed by the kitchen of her St. Petersburg apartment. “He speaks so fast!” Liudmila smiled so proudly I could almost hear it from my bedroom.

As a major in Physics and Economics, plenty of people have asked me what my experience in Russian has to do with the rest of my studies. Personally, I found these subjects most relevant in exploring the grammar of the Russian language. If you view all the grammatical structures you know as your formulas and the vocabulary as variables, the problem of applying them to convey a message to your audience is a lot closer to Physics than you might think. You make simplifying assumptions and choose the most direct path afforded to you by the tools that you know how to use. Building a sentence in Russian is a lot like building a spaceship. You never really know what it does until you launch it, but built correctly, it is beautiful to see it fly.

As a double major in Hispanic Studies and History, I’ve enjoyed my last three years at the College after transferring my freshman year. This past summer, I had the pleasure of studying abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and during the fall 2015 semester I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. I’ve been honored to take incredible classes with the amazing professors in both the Hispanic Studies and Italian departments, and I have fallen in love with Hispanic Studies as a discipline. I will be so sad to leave the College, but I have learned so much during these three short years that I will take with me going forward!

The Hispanic Studies Department gave a voice to my reality. All my life I’d experienced my Latin-ness outside academia and had rarely studied it beyond my own experience. I entered my first Hispanic Studies class at William & Mary and immediately knew it was the perfect department for me. I felt consistently empowered as I studied the culture and language of my heart in a setting that valued it beyond a personal background and brought it into the light of academia. I was also challenged to my core during a trip to the Mexican-American Border with Professor Arries and Professor Fisher. I realized that the pain and complexity of the issues we studied was something I couldn’t feel more connected to and never wanted to stop working with. I feel so proud to represent the William & Mary Hispanic Studies Department beyond Campus and share the knowledge that has inspired me daily. I am more confident and better prepared for the world because of the education I received through the incredibly talented faculty who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their field and their students. ¡Muchísimas gracias a todos! El regalo del conocimiento no tiene precio.

After graduation I will be working as one of the Coro Pittsburgh Fellows in Public Affairs. The Coro Fellowship uses leadership and public service experience in the real world to “train change makers.” I will be working in different sectors with non-profits, businesses, and the government during four cycles. Coro’s purpose is to give young leaders the skills to self/system intervene in the complex dynamics of an organization or community. I look forward to whatever may come after the 9-month program!

I loved studying abroad in Montpellier, France during the spring semester of my junior year. It was an amazing to not only travel all over France, but also to live with a French family. My French got so much better, and being immersed in French culture really helped us understand the country! It was fun to see all of the things I have learned about come to life!

I am moving to my hometown of Atlanta, GA, where I will be working and taking classes. My other major is Public Health, and I am currently deciding between Master’s programs to pursue (Physician’s Assistant or Master’s of Public Health). Hopefully by this time next year, I’ll know which!

Under the guidance of Professor Cate-Arries, I engaged in a research project in Cádiz, Spain during the summer of 2013. My research focused on a Cádiz-based fashion festival’s function as a cultural escape valve during a worrisome economic crisis. My research demonstrated how fashion functions as much more than just a showcase for material possessions, but rather offers a world of symbolism and representational value of one’s identity. More recently, during my senior year I have completed an honors thesis under the Hispanic Studies Department with continued guidance from Professor Cate-Arries. My senior honors thesis, “Salvador Dalí, Surrealism, and the Luxury Fashion Industry,” was inspired in part by my previous field work with the Cádiz summer study program. Within this work I study Dalí’s influence and relevance in the fashion world up to the present day when the artist’s legacy and influence on the fashion industry transcends his death in 1989. The work I have conducted on my honors thesis has been stressful, however, it has truly been my most rewarding experience at William & Mary.

Upon completion of my schooling at William & Mary, I will move to New York City and work as a merchandising/buying intern for the E-commerce based luxury fashion company Moda Operandi. I hope to one day become a buyer for a large luxury department store.

Studying abroad in Montpellier, France my sophomore year of college was an unforgettable experience in my life. It was a dream come true to be able to study and travel to cities in France, like Nice, Avignon, Marseille, Lyon, and Paris. I will always be grateful to the Department of Modern Languages at William and Mary for giving me this incredible opportunity. In addition to study abroad, I also have the Department of Modern Languages to thank for my favorite class of my entire academic career. During my junior year, I took a course on French art throughout the different periods of history with Professor Michael Leruth. It was fascinating to learn all about painters like Delacroix, Courbet, and Degas, and how their masterpieces reflected the social and political values of the times in which they lived.

After graduation, I plan on applying to Seminary for the Catholic Priesthood. If I am accepted and one day become a priest, I hope to make best use of the valuable French education that I received at William and Mary.

I had a great experience in the French Department. All of the professors I was lucky enough to take classes with were fantastic. Not only were they knowledgeable about their subject matter, they were also passionate about teaching. I have learned many valuable skills from them that will help me go on to be a great French teacher. I’d like to particularly thank Professor Compan. Her classes were fantastic and showed me a whole new side of Francophone literature and culture I fell in love with. In addition to these classes I had a great time studying abroad with the API program in Grenoble spring of 2015. I know that William and Mary has prepared me for a great future and I can’t wait to see what it has in store.

I was a student of Chinese and Japanese, taking four years of Chinese language courses and three years of Japanese. My favorite electives have been Professor Tang’s Chinese poetry, Professor Kitamura’s East Asian Cinema, and Professor Cronin’s Japanese Pop Culture. I lived in the Chinese language house for my sophomore and junior years, and loved the sense of community built around good food and great cultural experiences. I studied abroad at Tsinghua University the summer before my sophomore year, and at Kanazawa University the winter of my senior year.

After graduation, I will be working as a consultant in IBM’s Consulting by Degrees program in Washington D.C. I hope to use the language skills and cultural literacy fostered by the Modern Languages and Literatures department in my work, and someday work abroad.

My favorite classes were both of my senior seminars, global issues in poetry, with Teresa Longo, and dictatorship cultures, with Silvia Tandeciarz. I’d like to thank both of them for showing me perspectives I could not have otherwise studied. I also highly enjoyed introduction to philosophy, which I took at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. I studied in La Plata, Argentina, the spring of 2015 and in Cádiz, Spain, the summer of the most recent FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2014.

After a quick vacation in Europe, where I hope to visit the countries of some of my friends I’ve made here at WM and abroad, I will be interning at the Democratic National Convention, then working for the Bernie campaign if it’s still going. In the meantime I will be applying for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award so that I can return to Argentina to teach english and study at university there.

My hands-down favorite experience as a Hispanic Studies major was studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain during the fall of 2014. Not only did my Spanish abilities improve exponentially, but I experienced life as a Sevilliana for four months, spoiled by the love of my host parents, the ecstasy of churros, and the absolute beauty that is Andalucía. Some of my favorite classes from my career at William and Mary include Creative Writing Spanish Poetry (HISP 330) with Professor Tandeciarz, where I learned to read with meaning and write with a purpose, and Teaching English Abroad (MDLL 348) with Professor Kulick, which gave me amazing insight into my native language and the complexities we take for granted when speaking English on a day-to-day basis.

Next year I plan to be in South Korea, teaching English in a public school through the EPIK (English Program in Korea) program. While there I hope to learn the language and culture with which I’ve been fascinated for a very long time. After Korea…who knows? I have a second major in Kinesiology with a concentration in Public Health, so I would love to work in an international field related to global health or nutrition.

Emily McLenigan is an International Relations and French major from Clifton, VA. She has immensely enjoyed her time in the Modern Languages Department at W&M and her favorite memories range from making new friends and savoring the results of their culinary exploits at the French House to researching the geography of the Tour de France for Michael Leruth’s class on French culture. Emily intends to spend the summer of 2016 traveling and relaxing with friends and family, and in the fall she will begin working as an analyst for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, VA.

Some of my best experiences in the Chinese Languages and Literatures department were writing research papers. I took Dr. Yanfang Tang’s Chinese poetry class in the spring semester of 2015, and Dr. Calvin Hui’s Senior Seminar on Shanzhai Culture in the fall of 2016. Both of these professors allowed and encouraged me to research things that interested me, and then helped my tie my interests into the theme of the class. I enjoyed reading and revising these research papers so much, and I am very grateful for Dr. Hui and Dr. Tang’s advice as I built my arguments.

When I had spare time, I loved going to the Chinese and Japanese language houses – trying new foods and making new friends. And borrowing books!

After graduation I plan to return for a masters in accounting at W&M next year. I can’t wait to come back! I’m not sure what I will do after that – rack up another masters in East Asian studies, work abroad, or maybe just live in Flushing and commute to the city – anything is possible!

I have been taking Spanish classes since I was in the 7th grade (I was living in Seoul Korea at the time). So it was a natural progression for me to double major in Hispanic Studies and International Relations. I have really enjoyed many of my Department of Modern Languages classes but two of them that stand out for me are Hispanic Studies Film Cinema with Professor Buck and reading Cien años de soledad with Professor Longo. As a military kid who lived in Germany and South Korea and travelled to 28 countries on 5 continents (Antarctica and South America are the only 2 continents I haven’t visited), I got to see a lot of the world and experience many different cultures. But nothing compares to my time studying abroad in Cadiz, Spain during the summer of 2014. That study abroad experience was especially exciting because it was during the World Cup and the Spanish team was one of the favorites. It was a great experience that I will always remember.

I’ve been accepted to several Law schools in the Washington D.C. area. However, I am still trying to decide if I will start law school in the Fall or whether I will work for a year or two first to gain some work experience to help me decide which area of the law I want to focus on. I am also looking at several employment opportunities with the Federal Government and with private companies in D.C.

My name is Isabel Perrin and I am a Chinese major here at the college! I had a bit of a crazy life growing up overseas in Asia and South America but my time in Beijing was especially influential. Studying Chinese with Su Laoshi and Zhou Laoshi has been incredibly rewarding, 谢谢您! Not to mention all of the fascinating culture courses I’ve taken with Professor Calvin Hui, who has encouraged me to study and explore my passions, and has inspired me to reach for new heights – having the opportunity to write my senior thesis on the growing wine industry in China was an unbelievable experience, 谢谢您! After graduation, I am thrilled to be pursuing my passion for food and the restaurant industry while moving up to New York City to work for Baltz & Co, a restaurant PR firm.

I declared my German Studies major shortly after transferring to William & Mary my sophomore year. Around the same time, I decided to pick up a second language, so I started taking Russian courses. I had a number of Russian friends growing up, and the language and culture had always interested me. I spent my junior year studying German linguistics in Münster, Germany. It was an exciting time; hanging out with a mix of Germans, Russians, Latvians, and Brazilians gave me ample opportunity to work on my language skills. Returning to William & Mary for my senior year, I finished my German major while deepening my interest in Russian. Next year I’ll be moving to the Moscow suburb of Dolgoprudny to teach English. I’ve very much enjoyed my time with both the German and Russian departments, and I’m excited to see where the language skills I’ve fostered at William & Mary will take me.

Nic Querolo has taken courses in the Japanese department throughout his time at the College. He studied language and international business abroad at Keio University in Tokyo during the spring semester of his sophomore year. Upon returning, he began the process of creating his own major in Japanese through the Charles Center since it is currently only offered as a minor. For a capstone project, Nic wrote an honors thesis with the assistance of faculty advisor Michael Cronin on the work of Japanese Fashion Avant-Garde fashion designers. He was able to go back to Toyko to conduct his research thanks to a grant from the Charles Center. Nic is currently in the third round of interviews at NHK and hopes to be starting work at the DC Bureau in the summer as an economic associate producer.

The most important experience I had with Chinese was in the six months I spent studying abroad in Beijing. Not only did I learn more than I ever could have in the US, I had experiences that I may never have had the opportunity to otherwise. Were it not for the guidance of professors in William and Mary’s Chinese department, I would never have hiked on the Great Wall of China, studied at Tsinghua University, or eaten biang biang mian. After studying abroad I decided to major in Chinese and I hope to return to China to work in the future.

My current plan is to move to Washington, DC to continue the job hunt.

My most memorable and important education experience was when I studied abroad in Montpellier my Junior year. It was a very challenging but truly rewarding experience. Living with a host family forced me to speak French constantly and it really helped me improve my language skills. I was also able to travel throughout France to learn about the different regions and their cultures. Studying abroad was an excellent learning opportunity that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn a different language.

After graduation I will be working for Teach For America in Memphis Tennessee teaching English as a Second Language. I’m excited to start my post-grad career in a different part of the country, exploring a different region of the United States.

My time in the Russian department at William and Mary has been fun and rewarding. I’ve enjoyed improving my Russian both in class and in the St. Petersburg study abroad program. More than an academic program, the Russian department has been a welcoming community. From guest lectures to Maslenitsa at the Russian house, it is always fun to see both students and professors outside of class. Studying Russian has always inspired me to learn more, and pushed me out of my comfort zone to and into many rewarding experiences. Next year I’ll be following in the footsteps of recent graduate Rianna Jansen and teaching English at the International Education Centre in Moscow. I never could have done it without the support and inspiration of the Russian department. Спасибо вам огромное!​

Jillian Sequiera is a Government and Italian Studies double major who recently received Highest Honors for her thesis “Antifascist Graffiti: Crime or Contribution?” Jillian is an editor at the Writing Resources Center, a writer for the Law Street Media blog and a TA for the Italian department. Her favorite courses as an undergrad were Terrorism & Insurgency (Government) and Shoah in Italy (Italian). After graduation, Jillian will be working at International Seminar Design, Inc. as the Program Manager for Italian tours.

As a graduating senior with a degree in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, and a minor in History, the world is truly my oyster. Immediately after graduating I ship off to Russia to study at Lobachevskii State University of Nizhnii Novgorod (Нижегородский государственный университет имени Н. И. Лобачевского) with the Critical Language Scholarship. Afterwards I will apply for PhD programs in Russian/Slavic studies. ​

The most important educational experience I had was without a doubt my study abroad experience. I spent the fall semester my junior year (Fall 2014) in Sevilla, España with the William & Mary program. While the classes I took in Spanish were very manageable, the homestay experience was definitely the most impactful. When you have to communicate your needs and preferences in another language and live on a completely different schedule you understand the culture in a whole new way. Also, Sevilla is such a vibrant and unique city that getting to live there was such an experience…the travel didn’t hurt either. In addition, when taking Spanish classes back at The College I felt that I was able to place them in a broader context after having spent four months in a Spanish speaking country. More adventures abroad are soon to come!

In my postgraduate life I will be working for Aon, an insurance broker, in New York City. I’m originally from Long Island so I’m very excited to be heading back up North. I interned with the company last summer and in my final presentation I emphasized the importance of being bilingual in our current day and age, a talking point with which many of my mentors agreed.

One of my favorite experiences in Modern Languages was studying abroad in Montpellier during summer 2014. Even though it was only a month, I had a wonderful time and learned a lot from the grammar course at Paul-Valéry and my projet de recherche. I loved staying with my host family, getting to know and cooking with them. I’ll never forget exploring France, enjoying les estivals by Place de la Comédie, and going to festival les déferlantes!

After graduation, I will be job-searching!

Arianna Talaie majored in Government and Hispanic Studies during her time here at the College, combining her two passions of foreign policy and languages. Her interests in globalization, diplomacy and transnational migration led her to walk 75 miles of the Camino de Santiago route across northern Spain during the summer of 2014 to advance research on liberalized global migration policies. The following winter, she moved to La Plata, Argentina to pursue a human rights program for sixth months. Arianna simultaneously enrolled in the School of Law and Judicial Sciences at La Universidad Nacional de La Plata while interning at the Committee Against Torture (Comité contra la Tortura) at the Commission for Memory (Comisión Provincial por la Memoria), analyzing denouncements from prisoners in the province of Buenos Aires and working to produce a yearly report on torture within jails. On campus, she served as international site leader for the student-run Bridges to Community trip to the rural provinces of Nicaragua, where she helped build houses for underserved families, and has upheld her role as Editor-in-Chief of the Monitor, Journal for International Studies since April of 2015. Arianna has since gone on to intern for the Embassy of Peru in Washington, D.C. and has presented her data on Latin American international relations methodologies in Nagoya, Japan to Ph.D. candidates and professors there.

All the teachers in the Hispanic Studies department have made important impressions on me through their individual interests I have been able to learn about such wide variety of cultural issues. My most notable educational experience was going abroad to Cadiz, Spain last summer. The classes I took there were amazing at challenging me to become a better Spanish speaker, listener and citizen of the world. Also the research that I did with Professor Cate-Arries has impacted my academic career in so many positive ways, mostly because I never thought I would be able to perform interviews in Spanish or write a 10-12 page research paper, but I proved myself wrong!

As someone who had studied German all through high school and absolutely loved it, the decision to major in German Studies seemed logical. I didn’t know it then, but that was the best worst-informed decision I have yet made.

Studying modern languages gave me the opportunity to go overseas, study in Germany, and now possibly to go to Lithuania and Austria over the summer to research and teach English. Between German and Russian, which I picked up sophomore year here, I discovered entirely new movements of literature and philosophy that I hadn’t even heard of (and certainly would not have been able to pronounce!), and having access to those other languages has proved invaluable to my study of history.

Studying a foreign language is about 95% gruelling work and 5% glowing epiphany, but as much as memorizing endless charts of verb conjugations and noun endings makes you want to eat a pint of ice cream and cry on the floor, it’s all worth it once you pick up a copy of Goethe’s Faust and read it in the original German. Learning German, and now Russian as well, has taught me more than just a jumble of funny sounds, but a whole new perspective on the world. There’s a theory that the language you speak affects the way you think. I believe it.

My name is Antonio Douglas, a Chinese Major, Process Management and Consulting Minor, and Senior at The College of William and Mary. As graduation looms ever closer, it is funny to think how my Chinese experience started simply as s bid for more credits Freshman year. Nonetheless, four years later I find myself with strong intent to both live and teach in China the year following my graduation from William and Mary. Being a Chinese major has not only illuminated the rich culture and history of China, but has reinvigorated by belief in language’s ability to build relationships across borders. My friend groups and activities look much different now than they ever did back home in Atlanta, and most of this diversity is due to my interest in Chinese. However, no matter how varied my friend group has become or what languages we all speak, our desire to fellowship and be a genuine part of each other’s lives is consistent no matter where we’re from. I believe that this experience has only been made possible due to my time as Chinese Major at William and Mary. I thank God for the Chinese Department Professors and students, who have all contributed to my continual growth as an individual. Should I blessed to be able continue my life’s journey in China, I now have an unyielding confidence in my language skills thanks that will continue to allow me to develop relationships with those I might not have otherwise been able to meet.

I have always loved languages, but never had a chance to study German until college. I started taking German Fall of freshman year, partly because my dad speaks it, but also on a whim just to see what it was all about. Somehow I ended up being an accidental major. Definitely the best experience I’ve had from studying German was attending the Potsdam Study Abroad Program over Summer 2013. While there, I lived in Berlin with a couple who have become great friends of mine, and was able to visit awesome sights throughout Berlin and Potsdam with fellow William & Mary-ers. I was able to use my newfound language skills, while making great friends.

Studying a language has been a great experience. How cool is it to be able to speak to people in another language? Through this department I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much about myself. After graduation, I will be attending the Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico to become a certified yoga teacher. After that, I’ll be utilizing my language skills by moving to Stuttgart, Germany as an Au Pair. I can’t thank the German Department enough for these wonderful opportunities.

I will be graduating with a double major in Hispanic Studies and Accounting with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. I knew I was a Hispanic Studies major at heart since high school, when I became fascinated with the Spanish language and culture. Upon entering William & Mary, I was deeply involved with the Latin American Student Union and became empathetic of the Latino community on campus and abroad. As I took Hispanic Studies classes, I fell more in love with the subject. With the guidance and support of my wonderful professors, I learned to be critical and academically skeptical of information and historical accounts, as they may be censored, incomplete, or representative of only one perspective, leaving out a multitude of other viewpoints and marginalized voices. Because of this, I have grown not only academically, but also personally in becoming a conscious citizen of the world and appreciating worldviews different from my own. For this, I will be forever grateful.

Highlights from my experience include studying abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica where I studied at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica alongside local students who soon became my good friends, and completing my practicum during a winter break trip to Cuba with the Mason School of Business, where I conducted interviews with locals, community leaders, academics, and government officials to develop a business plan for a sustainable, social-entrepreneurial business based in Havana.

After graduation I will be taking the Certified Public Accounting exam and will begin working in the audit practice of Ernst & Young. One day I aspire to found my own socially-conscious business addressing issues in Latin America.

Sara is a senior with a double major in International Relations and Chinese at the College of William & Mary. She is a Research Fellow at the Center for Geospatial Analysis and spent the past summer as an AidData Summer Fellow working at Kathmandu University in Nepal. She taught AidData methodology and geographic information software to faculty and students while at the university. Sara has previously studied at Qinghua University in Beijing, China and hopes to spend a year in China after graduation before attending graduate school for Development Studies.