The University at Albany's motto is "the world within reach." By taking time to learn another language and thus, another culture, you have a more diverse network of people to interact with. I have been studying Spanish for about 9-10 years. I started learning Spanish in middle school and continued my education in this field through my college career. I studied abroad at ECELA in Santiago, Chile for the 2015 fall semester. I enrolled with the purpose of improving my Spanish speaking abilities. I traveled alone to Chile and I did not know what to expect. Despite these challenges, I was determined to learn and embrace Chilean culture. I lived with a Chilean host family and commuted to school. I became acclimated to the city by successfully navigating the public transportation systems, visiting historical and cultural sites as well as visiting Chilean friends throughout the city. I viewed each day as invaluable practice and I was able to adapt to my surroundings and immerse in daily Chilean life. I am engaged in attaining the education and knowledge to support my enthusiasm and motivation for the Spanish language. I want the opportunity to help people improve their language skills. I want to mitigate the perception of learning a language out of obligation because it is a requirement for a job or school. My goal is to motivate students to learn Spanish because they want to. My objective is to promote personal and academic growth to prepare students for all their future endeavors.

Cross Country Running, Cross Country Skiing, Swimming, Biking, Dancing Bachata and Salsa, Reading, Listening to Music and Playing the Clarinet