While at the University of Pittsburgh, I have studied Spanish for four years.

Studying Spanish has been immensely beneficial to my education at the University of Pittsburgh and will continue to have an impact on my life. I originally chose to study Spanish because I was drawn to the musical language and rich culture and I wanted to increase the number of people I could communicate and connect with.  As I am planning on studying dentistry, this is important to me, since I want to be able to serve as many members of the community as I can while respecting different cultures. I began studying Spanish at my high school in my hometown of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and chose to continue studying it throughout my time at the University of Pittsburgh.

In my Spanish curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh, not only did I learn to speak and write the language with proficiency, but I also learned about Hispanic history, culture, and current events. This was different from simply learning the grammar and pronunciation of the language, since even the basic Spanish language classes framed the coursework around world events and Spanish culture. Classes such as Hispanic Civilizations and the Incas broadened my knowledge of the origins of Spanish speaking societies and the historical significance of the language and culture. Medical Spanish, while teaching me medical vocabulary in Spanish, also helped me understand the difficulty in navigating the American healthcare system while being a Spanish speaker and having a different cultural background. This class also introduced me to the Birmingham clinic, where I plan to volunteer in the future as a Spanish language interpreter. My Latin American Topics class focuses on social movements, and in this class, I learn about the current issues facing Latin American societies today and the social movements seeking to change them.

Studying Spanish will help me immensely in the future since it taught me many valuable skills in addition to learning the language. I am now much more skilled in empathizing with different cultural perspectives. Learning about the history behind why the society today exists helps me understand better the built-in systems that can perpetuate inequality. Overall, I feel like I am one step closer to my original goal of learning the language in order to serve Spanish speaking patients in the future. However, the lessons I learned along the way about cultural competence are the most valuable to me.

Spanish 0015: Intensive Elementary Spanish

Spanish 0003: Intermediate Spanish 3

Spanish 0004: Intermediate Spanish 4

Spanish 0020: Conversation

Spanish 0025: Grammar and Composition

Spanish 1250: Hispanic Civilizations

Spanish 1470: The Incas

Spanish 1323: Medical Spanish

Spanish 1404: Latin American Topics