I was born in Mexico, In 2009 my family moved to the United States. When I started eighth grade I was placed in a classroom with newcomers, there I felt confident and save. However, I was enrolled in other classes where everything was in English, in those classes I felt isolated, so I ended up disliking them. In my first year of High School I took one spanish class and it was my favorite course. This class allowed me to learn more about my culture. I have always wanted to be a teacher, I decided to get a major in Spanish Language and Culture to become a professor. I consider that learning about other cultures is very important. It helps people make connections with people from different countries. It is not only important to learn a foreign language, but also learn about the culture. Furthermore I want to teach students about the things of their own culture that they don’t know yet. I want them to discover and explore the history of their language and culture.
From this major I have learned the contribution that linguistics and literature have in the Hispanic culture. This elements connect to MLO 1 and 3. By completing this major I have developed my proficiency in the Spanish language, also in its literary context. I have also acquired a more broad knowledge in culture. Learning about the history of the Spanish language allowed me to make connections between our language, culture and History. Learning linguistic variations of the Spanish language created a new world for me, it is important to learn about this because it will help me prepare in the field of teaching. MLO 1 gave me the opportunity to acquire knowledge in the language and linguistics field. Learning about this provided me knowledge to be ready for future careers. As I become a professor in the future I will have a high probability of having students from different parts of Latin America or Spain so what I learned during my educational career will help me be ready to understand my future students’ linguistic variation in the Spanish language. MLO 3 guided me to gain literary and cultural knowledge of the Hispanic cultures. By completing MLO 3 I was able to learn about the different existing cultures within Hispanics. The literary knowledge prepared me for the future career that I want to have as a professor in the Spanish literature and culture field. In conclusion through completing this major I was able to discover that language, literature and culture are tied. It is essential to learn about all of them to better understand each field of study.
Taking the opportunity to study abroad in Sevilla exposed me to a different culture also allowing me to fulfill both the second culture knowledge requirement and MLO 5. As I lived this incredible experience studying abroad I had the opportunity to take spanish courses in a country where Spanish is the official language. Being in a city for about four months and only speaking Spanish, at school, restaurants and in some other various social contexts I learned about the Sevillan culture. Through this experience I learned about this second culture. The course SPAN/HIS346 España Medieval: Cristianos, Judíos y Musulmanes is one of the most interesting courses I have taken. In this course I learned about Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The course provided me important information about all the cultures I mentioned above. I learned about their city organization, religious believes, their ideas and also their histories. From the service learning experience I learned that it is important to make a change in our communities and to contribute ourselves to them with all the knowledge I have acquired after graduation. From my personal experience I have learned that it is not only important to succeed by ourselves but to help others to do so.
My initial goal was to develop my Spanish language proficiency and become a teacher. My goal has evolved in a positive way. I have developed my interest for Spanish linguistics and literature. Prior to studying my major I did not know how interesting linguistics could be, but at this point I have found a subject that I enjoy learning. Moreover I have developed my passion towards literature, in the process of completing my major courses I read a variety of books and short stories from Latin american and Spaniard writers. I learned that literature is tied to culture and people’s historical backgrounds. My initial goal evolved from wanting to become a teacher to becoming a professor instead. I am planning to do a masters degree at San Jose State University and later on conclude my education with a Ph. D to become the professor I have always dreamed.
The capstone project is the part of this major that makes me feel the most proud. It was not an easy process, but in its completion I have been able to reflect about the knowledge that I have gained until now from all of the courses taken to complete my major. In this project, I am connecting the knowledge I have acquired: language proficiency, linguistics, literature,second culture knowledge, technological and research skills. The capstone project reflects all the experience and knowledge gained by completing a major in Spanish language and Hispanic cultures at CSU Monterey Bay. My capstone consists of an analysis about multilingualism in a short story by a Latin American writer Horacio Quiroga. Highlighting the importance of the amerindian languages from Latin America.
The areas that I want to develop in the future are my literature and cultural knowledge about Hispanic cultures. I developed interest for linguistics and literature but I think I will continue my education focusing in literature and culture. Also I am hoping to develop my public speaking abilities since I want to become a professor. Moreover, I would like to study pedagogy to become a more prepared professor and help my future students in their academic journeys.