Throughout my college career, I focused on developing the speaking and writing skills necessary to communicate in Spanish. As an undergraduate student at Eastern Illinois University, I studied Spanish in the form of grammar, conversation, films and literature in order to improve my proficiency in the language and obtain my Spanish minor. In my final semester of college, I traveled to Salamanca, Spain to live with a host family for six weeks. I was able to use my Spanish in a real life setting and experience a fascinating new culture.

I have taught Spanish with Futura Language Professionals and volunteered in Dane County, providing childcare for Hispanic children while their parents took English courses. I have worked as a Lead teacher in a Spanish Immersion Academy and worked in a bilingual immigration office, where I translated, interpreted, and discussed cases with native Spanish-speaking clients.

Last summer, I took a trip to Peru, where I volunteered at a local orphanage for five weeks.

By combining travel, studies, and work experience, I have been able to reach a proficiency in Spanish that allows me to communicate with others and accomplish things that I otherwise would not be able to with English alone. It is my desire to use these skills that I have acquired in a helpful way and to spread the joy of understanding and speaking such a beautiful language.