“I’ve been motivated by many professors in the Modern Languages Department to pursue leadership opportunities both on-campus and off-campus.”
Having parents who are immigrants from Puebla, Mexico, Andrea chose to major in Spanish to “get a better understanding of the cultural and linguistic components of the Spanish language.” Her Spanish and LALACS courses, as well as being a part of multiple cultural organizations on campus, have allowed her to feel more in tune with her culture.
She describes the Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department as making her feel welcome at Gustavus, even saying that she considers some of the faculty within the department to be like family. Andrea describes every Spanish professor that she has had at Gustavus as having helped her grow as a student, appreciating that if she runs into any of them on campus, she is able to have a friendly conversation in Spanish with them. “It is always the highlight of my day!”
She appreciates that the professors within the department make students aware of opportunities both on and off campus that might aid them in the future. For Andrea, these experiences have included the opportunity to teach Spanish to Maya speaking Guatemalan immigrants at the Saint Peter Community Center and virtually tutoring Spanish students at Saint Peter High School. Andrea was also able to travel to Cayambe, Ecuador during the summer of 2022 through the Environmental Studies and Art & Art History Departments and engage with indigenous communities who are experiencing direct effects of climate change. Andrea’s knowledge from courses in the department gave her important insight during her travels, and helped prepare her for an immersive language experience.
From her time in the MLLC Department, Andrea feels that the faculty have prepared her for a future career, saying “from writing me letters of recommendation to advising me on how to progress in my courses, I can say with certainty that the faculty of the department have more than prepared me for my use of the Spanish language in my future career.”
Andrea is also connected to her passion in culture and language through the various campus organizations that she is involved in, such as OLAS and PASO.