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Student Testimonials

Ben De Mora

B.A. Spanish, B.A. Biology

 My name is Ben DeMora and I am a senior at Eastern University. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I have been accepted into Arcadia University's Physician Assistant Program Class of 2015. I plan to use these degrees and my skills to deliver health care abroad to the underprivileged peoples of Spanish-speaking nations.

Ben De Mora  Ben De Mora

Natalie Zukowski

Hello. My name is Natalie Zukowski and I am a student at Eastern University. During Fall 2012 I am studying in Córdoba, Argentina and it has been a fantastic semester. The people, culture, food and country are incredibly beautiful. One of my favorite times of the day is dinner time with my Argentine host mom, when we talk about my questions about the culture, Argentine life or even the news on TV. It is a fenomenal way to learn and practice Spanish. From Córdoba, a $10 2 hour bus ride outside of the city will take you to the wilderness for swimming in the rivers, hiking and camping. The classes are wonderful and the professors are very understanding and helpful. If you choose Córdoba, Argentina, prepare yourself for the most delicious asados, drinking mate and enjoying the sunshine year-round (though it's cold in the morning during the winter, by afternoon it's a beautiful day). I'm not kidding, it is kind of like paradise. Overall, the Semester Abroad is incredible and I wish everyone could experience it. 

Natalie    natalie   natalie   natalie

Elizabeth Myers
B.A. International Area Studies & Business
I chose to study Spanish because I love the language and being able to communicate well with people from other cultures and backgrounds. My major is International Area Studies and Business, and having a strong background in Spanish allowed me to study business abroad in Puebla, Mexico for a year, which was a great opportunity to study my major in an international setting. I believe that this will result in greater cultural awareness in my life and provide me with a strength I can offer to future employers.

Molly Brooks
B.A. Spanish, B.A. Sociology

Through studying Spanish with the language department, I have learned more about myself and about the world than I thought possible.  I was able to study at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, which was one of the most challenging and exciting experiences of my life.  I lived with a Mexican family, which gave me a deeper understanding of Mexican culture, and was able to strengthen my language skills, with my entire environment acting as the classroom.  While at Eastern, I was able to work in a Spanish speaking case work position at an immigration center and also loved the classes I was able to take on campus.  Deciding to major in Spanish was one of the most practical and enriching decisions I made in college.  I have developed such a love of language, especially Spanish, and an strong awareness of Latin American and Spanish culture.

Anna McDonald
Anna McDonald
B.A. Spanish

Working at the Mexican Cultural Center in the offices of the Mexican Consulate was an enriching experience for many reasons. I had the privileges of designing and updating the Mexican Cultural Center's webpage, helping plan events and understanding how a nonprofit organization supported by the Mexican Consulate works. In addition, was able to learn more about Mexican culture and every time I walked into the office, it was a cultural immersion in which I got to practice and improve my Spanish orally and in writing.

Nora Barth
 B.A. Spanish, B.A. Sociology; Templeton Honors College
My experience with the Spanish major has been absolutely marvelous. I came to Eastern in hoping to double major in Spanish and Sociology, but fearful that my Spanish experience (only 2.5 years in high school) would be sub-par. I worked hard though, and with the help of the professors passed SPA301 and 302 with flying colors my freshman year. I learned more in those two classes than I had in any other class I had ever taken. The improvement was obvious and everyone who knew me noticed how much better I had gotten in just two semesters. That year, I took the opportunity to go with Eastern to the Dominican Republic for a missions trip over Spring Break and it changed my world! The following summer I went to the Dominican Republic for 6 weeks and learned even more about their language and culture! When I came back for sophomore year I learned even more wonderful things about Spanish language and literature. My heart for immigrants and missions has been shaped by the wonderful faculty and courses that this Language department has to offer.

I studied abroad in Mexico at the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla (UDLAP) in the fall of my Junior year and fell in love with Mexico. I went back the following summer and did an internship in the college-student ministry that I attended while at UDLAP. The Spanish major provides wonderful opportunities to get to know people who speak Spanish, and if this is your heart, then this is the place to be! The professors, Dr. Ramírez and Dr. Stewart, are very available to help you understand something that is difficult and are incredibly knowledgeable. They are interested in making sure that your experience is holistic. They want to make sure that you are learning about more than just Spanish - about the people who speak it and about how you, as a person of faith, can understand and grapple with some of the oppressions that we witness when we learn about these people. The professors have always been wonderfully supportive and have recommended me for all kinds of opportunities and internships. I am currently interning at the Mexican Cultural Center at Philadelphia, the host of the annual Mexican Independence Day Festival at Penn's Landing. I am learning even more about Mexican culture and getting to pursue my interest in immigration. I believe this program has enabled me to flourish in my love of languages and has given me the confidence I need to pursue literacy and fluency in other languages besides Spanish as well.