The main reason I decided to study Spanish, is because I felt a great gap in my knowledge of my mother tongue. At a very early age I emigrated to the United States, and I was only exposed to Spanish at home, and my knowledge was very basic. Unfortunately, my focus at that time was on learning English and trying to acquire all the material from other classes, so I was losing interest in improving my Spanish. It wasn't until my last years of high school, that I came across Spanish courses, where I was exposed to literature and a little bit of the grammar rules and linguistic information. It was at this stage of my life that I decided to study Spanish at a college level, although I was not very interested in attending college, my interest in studying Spanish encouraged me. Once in the college level courses, I realized that I was enjoying this subject and that being a future Spanish teacher would be a good idea, so I dedicated myself to take all the Spanish classes available and received an Associate of Arts in Spanish from Gavilan College. After this, I transferred to California State University, Monterey Bay, where I dedicated myself to receiving my Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures, Bachelors of Arts.
My time at this University was exceptional, as I was surrounded by great company and great teachers. Here, I was able to expand my linguistic knowledge and learn about the importance of the history of Spanish. This experience also helped me to focus more on my goal of studying, in order to become a Spanish teacher. My main goal when I arrived at California State University, Monterey Bay was to receive as much input as possible on grammar rules, expand my vocabulary, and learn about the history of Spanish and the cultures that speak it, and I can say that I was able to achieve all of these goals. The courses I received really helped me to follow my career and learn about the steps I need to take to achieve my goals.
I am really proud to say that my academic endeavors at California State University, Monterey Bay have given me the necessary skills to manage large amounts of research, effectively utilize reputable sources, and successfully incorporate peer review into my own research. I am well-studied, and dedicate all of my mind and intentions to the work I am required to complete. I have served as Vice President of the California State University, Monterey Bay Spanish Club, and have been actively involved on campus. I realize that the educational environment should be conducive to the success of students often not initially given the upper hand in life, as myself. CSUMB allowed me to participate as a volunteer, where I was given the opportunity to teach immigrant learners the necessary linguistic skills to pass their citizenship tests and as a naturalized citizen myself, I was deeply moved to continue teaching in this way.
Even though I have officially completed my academic requirements for CSUMB, I still hope to improve my skills in order to obtain my Masters in Spanish at San Jose State University. I would like to explore more academic literature in Spanish and take linguistic courses to learn new methods to enhance my future teaching abilities. Finally, another goal I have is to enhance my communication skills in order to convey the material to my future students.