"Mastering a language serves as a gateway to an incredible number of career opportunities. Not only does it function as a tool for meaningful connection with others, but it also presents a challenge that encourages critical thinking about the world around you.”
Major(s) and Certificate(s): Spanish, Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies; Certificates in TESOL, Global Cultures
Language(s): Spanish, Arabic, French, Yucatec Maya
Graduation Year: 2013
What motivated you to study this/these languages?
Spanish, Arabic, and French are very useful to learn because a great number of people across the world who speak one of these three languages. I have always been interested in working with global communities and as such, chose to explore languages that would make it easier for me to connect with people.
What do you remember about your UW language classes? How were they different from other classes you took?
I am a people-person so, what stood out most in my language courses were the instructors who made it clear that they were dedicated to supporting students’ learning experiences. As I progressed through my Spanish language courses, I had really incredible professors who not only encouraged and supported my enthusiasm to learn, but also introduced me to literature and cinema that completely shifted my perspective on history and current events.
I had an exceptional Arabic language instructor who I chose to take two semesters with because of how much I valued his teaching approach. My poor French instructor had to patiently endure my habit of mixing Spanish words into oral presentations (so sorry, Madame). Among all my instructors, the most patient one was for Yucatec Maya, a course I took as part of a FIG during my first year at UW. The instructor incorporated storytelling and music as integral components of learning the language, enriching the educational experience.
What set these courses apart from my other academic pursuits was their immediate applicability, offering tools for daily communication and ‘connecting the dots.’ Language learning involves the skill to link together seemingly disparate characters to form a logical fragment that carries meaning, which is what it’s like to learn to code with most statistical software programs.
Anyone who has dedicated time to learning a language beyond their native language understands how challenging and potentially embarrassing it can be. That alone connects people – the shared laughs and struggles. Learning someone else’s language opens up a new way to see yourself, your culture, your society. It’s more than just speaking the language; it’s adopting a lens that allows you to experience an alternate way of existence. One way that people express how they’re experiencing the world is through language and there are words and phrases that you can’t express in English, concepts that just don’t translate. When we learn a language and the nuances of languages, we are expanding the tools we have to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and recognize what we have in common, even if it’s not a shared primary language. I’ve had several experiences over the years that have left a lasting impact on me.
How valuable were your out-of-classroom experiences? How did they add to your undergraduate experience/coursework?
The opportunity to apply my skills daily during my study abroad experience in Peru proved immensely valuable. At the time, I was managing within a budget and Lima offered the most cost-effective option with my financial constraints. The immersive environment in Peru justified the investment of both time and money.
The internship that I pursued at the Nationalities Services Center in Philadelphia was stemmed from a week-long service-learning trip facilitated by UW during a spring break. The trip took us, a van full of students, down to Atlanta, where we dedicated a week to volunteering at the International Rescue Committee. Prior to this experience, I had limited knowledge about what refugee programs were, despite having friends who either immigrated to the U.S. or had parents who had come to the U.S. as refugees. It was through this trip that I discovered the field of work focusing on these programs and communities.
Out-of-classroom experiences such as those listed above were central to understanding how to best apply my skills in the real world after graduation.
What have you done in a professional capacity since graduating from UW-Madison?
Presently, in my Master’s Program in Applied Economics I’m still learning languages. Within this program, I’m delving into econometrics and mastering statistical software tools like SAS, Stata, and R to examine relationships between variables.
My current role as a Research and Data Analyst involves significant use of R, and I attribute my proficiency in navigating these statistical tools to my prior language learning experiences, and my exceptional colleagues. These experiences have equipped me with the patience and aptitude to connect the dots within these programs to craft strings of information that resemble cohesive sentences.
What are ways, either expected or unexpected, that your language study has benefited you in your career?
There’s this quote I used to have on my wall during a year that I taught in Turkey after graduating, “When you speak to someone in your language, you’re speaking to their mind. When you speak to them in theirs, you’re speaking to their heart.” I initially anticipated that my language learning would aid my interests in teaching English to speakers of other languages. However, I never expected that it would eventually equip me with the skills needed to conduct complex analyses that have become central to my career.
Mastering a language serves as a gateway to an incredible number of career opportunities. Not only does it function as a tool for meaningful connection with others, but it also presents a challenge that encourages critical thinking about the world around you.
I think that it also enhances your ability to problem solve in complex circumstances because, at least some languages, are so hard to learn it may feel like that’s all you’re doing is problem solving/solving puzzles!
How have you maintained or improved your language(s) since graduation?
Since graduation, maintaining and improving my language hasn’t been a central focus professionally but, because of those learning endeavors years ago, I have a group of friends and acquaintances who I am able to communicate with to keep up with the languages. Working in Turkey and Jordan where I had to pick up and use Turkish and Arabic, I noticed improvement in the languages learned when I could watch a movie, listen to music, and there are words or phrases that I did not previously understand. I still keep dictionaries and flash cards behind my desk to occasionally brush up on vocabulary. However, the most valuable learning took place while talking with real people..
What advice do you have for students who are studying language(s) about how to incorporate their interests and skills into their future goals?
- Be informed, have a plan, but don’t be too rigid with your career aspirations and take your learning outside the classroom.
- Watch movies, listen to music, consider the philosophies, art, religion that are all related to that language.
- Learn about an important event in history from another community’s perspective.
- Respectfully engage with the communities who are open to engaging with you. Whether you’re looking for a career in law enforcement, data analysis, teaching, diplomacy, or any other industry where knowledge of another language is critical, get to know the people speaking that language as if they were your neighbors.
- Ask questions, politely.