Behind the Gen Eds: Spanish Majors Speak Out

¿Qué motiva a estudiantes para perseguir a un comandante en español? (That is, “What motivates students to pursue a major in Spanish?”) From freshman to senior year, Spanish classes can be challenging and fun – and students with a passion for Spanish have a way of bridging the gap between two worlds.
“My favorite thing about the Spanish major is the faculty,” said freshman Katie Plucker.  “They truly care about the students and want them to succeed.”  Katie decided to pursue a Spanish major because she felt it would be useful in whatever job she does.
“The increasing Hispanic population indicates a need for professionals who are able to communicate with Hispanic people. I knew NWC had a good Spanish program, so I decided it was a good choice to add a Spanish major,” said Plucker.  Some students that add a Spanish major to their studies feel a call from God to work with a different culture. Knowing the language is a primary step in answering that call.
“I felt the call to do ministry with Spanish-speakers in high school.  Originally I was going to minor in Spanish, but since I wanted to study abroad it only made sense to major because that is basically the only difference between majoring and minoring,” said senior Michelle Roethel.
“The fact that God created such diversity in languages and in cultures awes me. I feel like I will be able to assist in bridging the current gap we are seeing between American culture and the Hispanic culture,” said Plucker.
The Spanish major has a variety of classes and opportunities.  The classes range from conversational classes to classes learning about the culture and literature. Junior Becky Bagley she said, “I really enjoyed my advanced conversational class because of the topics discussed and getting to hear other people’s opinion on articles and movies we got to read and watch.”
Roethel said, “If my SSA to Ecuador doesn’t count, I would have to say Professor Clark’s Literature from Spain class [was my favorite]. It was a pretty tough class for me, but I learned a lot about Spain and improved a lot in reading Spanish.”
Spanish majors have a required opportunity to have a close-up experience with the culture through either a semester or summer study abroad.  Some places they can consider going to are Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Spain.
Bagley summed up her summer abroad in Guatemala by saying, “To see how I connected with the girls despite being unable to speak and understand everything was wonderful. They accepted me and called me family.  I loved my experience there, and I hope I can go back again.”
For Roethel and her experience in Ecuador, she said, “I loved it and felt so blessed to have the oppotunity to go. I felt strongly that I needed to go back and do mission work there, so I did that last summer on an SOS. I got to reconnect with my host family, speak a lot of Spanish and be a part of some really cool ministries. I miss it so much!”
The Spanish major and minor opens doors for students and gives them an opportunity to explore the globe of the surrounding Hispanic countries.  “This major is rewarding to me because I feel a positive atmosphere and feel excited to learn something new,” said Bagley.
Professor Koene loves the motivation he sees in his students who are learning Spanish in order to serve others. The Spanish major may not sound too appealing to everyone but God has definitely given Roethel, Bagley and Plucker a compassionate heart for their study of choice and the Hispanic culture.