Spanish
What can you do with a degree in Spanish?
Kate Rowland (B.A. University of Notre Dame, 2000) Family Physician
"I really enjoyed the Spanish literature class I was placed into my first year at Notre Dame, so the following semester I took another. Before I knew it, I was a Spanish major. Because I had an interest in science as well, I became a Pre-professional major during my sophomore year. I decided to pursue a career in medicine during my senior year, and so I entered Rush Medical College in Chicago after I graduated. I am now finishing my residency in Chicago and will be doing a fellowship in Clinical Research and Health Services at the University of Chicago for the next two years.
The ability to speak Spanish helps me on a daily basis—about one-third of the patients I see in my office are Spanish-speaking only—and I am able to provide care to a much wider range of people. In medical school, speaking Spanish not only allowed me to communicate with my patients, but it also made me an invaluable part of a team where attendings and residents could not speak the language.
A Spanish major makes far more sense than any science major if you want to work in medicine. I graduated in the top ten percent of my medical school class and have scored in the 90th percentile or above on all of my medical licensing boards.
Virginia "Gia" Gulino (B.A. University of Notre Dame, 1998)
Texas Border and Mexican Affairs Division of the Office of the
Texas Secretary of State
"After graduating I came to the Tex-Mex border as an AmeriCorps
VISTA volunteer for a legal aid firm in which I assisted low-income
Texans, mostly recent immigrants and migrant farmworkers, in civil disputes.
Most of my clients were mainly Spanish speakers, though many could manage
in both English and Spanish. I served as a liaison between the attorney
and the clients and often prepared and translated legal documents for
their cases.
"After two years as a volunteer with legal aid, I worked with a farmworker health promotion and advocacy group, also in the border region, training women and youth as community outreach workers on health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart health, nutrition, and leadership. Here I relied heavily on my Spanish, giving weekly trainings in the language and conducting most of my work in Spanish, though now I sound more Mexican than Chilean, where I learned to really speak the language. I now work with the Texas Secretary of State in their Texas Border and Mexican Affairs Division, but hope to get back into the farmworker community soon. Spanish has been an integral part of my life since leaving Notre Dame and has brought me many opportunities but has also allowed me to help others who are monolingual Spanish speakers and are often isolated at the fringes of our society."
David
Schulte (BA/MA University of Notre Dame, 1998,
JD Southern Methodist University 2002) is an associate
in the law firm of Thompson & Knight, LLP, in Dallas,
Texas, specializing in business and employment litigation
and trial law.
"At Notre Dame, I studied what I enjoyed, Spanish literature. I was fortunate to have gotten to know so many brilliant professors who were committed to educating their students, while exposing them to such a broad spectrum of literature. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to remain at Notre Dame for a year to complete my Master's degree. Notre Dame's Romance Languages Department offers a stimulating learning environment that contributes to students' academic development. The nature, extent, and quality of this education provide a solid base for graduates to pursue virtually any discipline".
Michael Lazzara (B.A, University of Notre Dame, 1997, PhD Princeton University) Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis.
"My experience as a student in the Department of Romance Languages at Notre Dame helped me to discover my passion for Latin American literature and culture and offered me invaluable opportunities for intellectual and professional growth. I remember fondly the personal attention and guidance of the Department’s faculty; their mentorship inspired me to study abroad in Santiago, Chile in 1995 and later made it possible for me to return to Chile as Fulbright scholar in 1998 (both life changing experiences!). My project on the literature written during the years of dictatorship in Chile, which I recently published in Santiago (2002), also served as springboard to my doctoral dissertation research at Princeton. My years at Notre Dame helped me to realize that I always want Hispanic literature and culture to be at the center of my life. As I begin my career in university teaching, I will always remember my professors at Notre Dame who, each in different ways, serve as models for the type of teacher, scholar and mentor that I hope to become for my own students."
Susan
Carvalho (BA University of Notre Dame,
PhD University of Virginia) is now an Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Assistant Provost for International Studies at the University
of Kentucky
"While my contact with the Spanish language began in infancy, and while my love of literature was born almost as soon as I learned to read, the excitement of a career in literary studies was born directly from my experiences within and beyond the classroom at Notre Dame. Today, I still tell my students about the classes where I first encountered Juan Rulfo, Ana María Matute, Manuel Puig, and so many other figures who drew me into a career which would allow me to continue to introduce them to neophytes. I recall the feeling of reading my first "real novel" in Spanish, the incredible experience of meeting writers first-hand, and in particular, the passion for teaching that is demonstrated by Notre Dame's faculty and that continues to inspire me today. Notre Dame also supported my program of study abroad, which gave me the linguistic and the cultural foundation so necessary for graduate study. Because of the prestige of Notre Dame's program I was able to earn a full fellowship to the doctoral program at the University of Virginia, and then to continue with a successful career in Kentucky and Middlebury College. The greatest testament to the impact that studying at Notre Dame had on my intellectual life is seen in the fact that I still maintain contact with the three primary professors that introduced me to Hispanic literature in the shadow of the Golden Dome; they have welcomed me as a colleague with the same warmth and mentoring with which they greeted me as a student."
More undergraduate success stories
Kathleen (Kate) Ward (BA University of Notre Dame 2001) worked at a public interest law firm in San Francisco, and now works for an immigrant rights group in Chicago.
Verónica Lee (BA University of Notre Dame 2001) works in the International Sales Department of Simon and Schuster Publishing in New York.
Amy Sprague (BA University of Notre Dame 1995, MA Latin American Studies/Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin) is now a Coordinator for the Environmental Enterprise project of the World Resources Institute.
Carol Smoller (Pier) (BA University of Notre Dame 1994, JD Harvard University) does international research for Human Rights Watch.
Roxanne Mendez-Johnson (BA University of Notre Dame, 1993, JD University of Arizona, 1999) is now an attorney in the District of Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office where she represents indigent clients, many of them Spanish-speaking, in various federal criminal matters.
Anita Verdugo (BA University of Notre Dame 1993; MPA Arizona State University) is an Outreach Counselor at Arizona State University.
Student reflections from the Class of 2008>
