What are our alums saying?

Major: Spanish and Hispanic Studies, Sociology
Minors: Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Anthropology

Hi! I'm Grace!

I graduate in 2024 with a major in Spanish and Hispanic Studies and two minors in LACS and Anthropology

What I'm doing now?

I'm working as an English to Spanish medical interpreter for Limited English Proficiency patients

What was your favorite class in Spanish @Union?

My favorite Spanish class was a Latino poetry class with Profe Yi.

What sticks in your brain as your most memorable moment in our classes?

This isn't a specific moment, but I will always remember how accepted and cared-for I felt in my Spanish classes, as well as in the department in general. Spanish classes are so fun and each day I felt like I was being challenged, but in a good way. I learned so much while also making lifelong connections with both my peers and professors.

How are you applying your Spanish learning?

I use my Spanish learning skills everyday in the way that I understand the Spanish-speaking patients that I work with. I am able to use the contextual skills and wide variety of vocabulary that I learned in my Spanish classes in order to be the best interpreter that I can be!

If there is one piece of advice you could give other students about taking classes in the Spanish Department, what would it be?

One piece of advice that I could give to students about taking classes in the Spanish Department is to just go for it. Even if you think that you might say something wrong or mess up a verb conjugation, it's ok because the professors are there to help you and you are there to learn. You won't improve if you don't try to put yourself out there and make the mistakes in the first place!

Major: Spanish and Hispanic Studies, Sociology
Minor: Philosophy

Hi! I'm Maeve!

I received my J.D. from Vermont Law and Graduate School in May, 2025 and am currently studying for the NY Bar Exam. I hope to combine my passions for activism, advocacy, and justice to diligently represent all types of clients in the future. I am excited to pursue opportunities in the field of trusts and estates law. That said, I am intent on making time to represent immigrants in citizenship proceedings or offer translation services when needed. I will always find a reason to use my Spanish skills to help someone!

My favorite class at Union was SPN-200: Intermediate Spanish. This was my first ever college class and I can still remember how scared I was to walk in those doors. Lucky for me, Profesora Yi stressed the importance of treating her classroom as a safe space to make mistakes, grow, and learn together. This class introduced me to a cohort of students that I would reconvene with every trimester, as we collectively improved our Spanish skills and our friendships in higher-level courses.

Majors: Spanish and Hispanic Studies, Political Science

Hi! I'm Bob!

I studied Spanish at Union because one of the most impactful teachers I ever had, Sra. Kania (high school Spanish teacher), instilled in me a deep appreciation for language and the doors that it can open for you and the empathy that it can foster. She taught me to never be afraid to grow my Spanish skills - "the only way you improve is to make mistake after mistake and then learn from it."

What would you say were your major learnings?

I learned to always try to put myself in someone else's shoes, so to speak, before making a judgement or analysis about anything. While this wasn't explicitly taught within the coursework, it was impossible not to think that way while learning the language and being exposed to life experiences that were vastly different from my own. The profoundly unique ways that different cultures and subcultures interact within themselves and outside of themselves makes it very difficult to draw any sort of reasonable conclusion when acting only as a "spectator looking in." Theory and academic exercises are all well and good, but are useless unless you are able to apply them in a real-world context.

How are you applying that learning?

This has carried over into my professional life to great benefit. I often find myself in situations where I am forced to find a more nuanced path forward to achieve a positive result. This could be something as simple as taking a brief moment before responding to ensure that I understand how someone is approaching the topic at hand, to something more complex like needing to gain a more in-depth understanding of how and why a person or group is reacting the way they are. There have been many situations in my life where a thoughtfully placed question has opened up a discussion that led to an end result that was better than expected.

What are you doing now?

I currently work in New York Governor Kathy Hochul's Appointments Office, managing executive-level appointments to over four hundred boards and commissions at the local, state, national, and international level.