Melanie Eggler graduates from our Spanish Teaching Program. She will soon have students of her own and will inspire generations to learn Spanish and learn about the world. Congratulations Melanie!!!
Amelia Espinosa graduates with majors in Political Science, International Relations, and Spanish and a minor in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. Amelia has earn many academic honors and served as President of the Spanish Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, as a Spanish tutor, and in OLAS. Following graduation, she will be working for Peace Corps in Costa Rica and after will pursue a masters in Development Practice with an emphasis on Latin America. Amelia has big plans ahead:“One day I hope to be able to do development work in Latin America, primarily focusing on education and healthcare systems. In order to do any of that, I am going to need the foundational abilities that I have gained through the Gustavus Spanish Program. The Spanish Program has given me a basis to continue growing as a language learner, critical thinker, and global citizen.” Congratulations Amelia!!
Karrie Villarreal graduates with majors in Spanish and Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS). At Gustavus she has served as Co-president of the Student Senate, Gustie Greeter and in OLAS. Among the best memories of her senior year, she highlights taking linguistics class followed by a J-term in Buenos Aires: “This year I got the opportunity to take a linguistics course with visiting professor, Matthew Griffin. His class focused on the variations of how Spanish is spoken/pronounced and though it was difficult, Matthew made it all worthwhile. His course prepared me for my J-term abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and it was the coolest thing getting to experience what I learned in his course outside of the classroom. Argentina was so beautiful and so was the way they spoke Spanish.” Congratulations Karrie!!
James Wittrig graduates with a double major in Spanish and Computer Science, and two minors in LALACS and math. Of his study abroad experience in Chile he tells us: “Studying away in Chile helped me to comprehend, after years of doing well on Spanish tests, just how different speaking a living language is to studying conjugations or reading a scripted dialogue. I’m on a journey to learn how to not just speak but communicate, and focusing on and living the language was what got me started”. Congratulations James!!!