Mykaela is currently in her third year at the U. She will receive a dual degree with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a B.A. in Spanish Studies, she is also minoring in Health and Wellness Promotion. One day she would like to be a physical therapist and multilingual so she can help and interact with as many people as she can. Being multilingual would give her the ability to efficiently communicate with those that may not always be able to receive the best or most efficient care. She hopes to help as many communities as she can by educating them about their health and wellness. She decided to major in Spanish because she is passionate about learning new languages. She is also partially Mexican, coming from her mom’s side, however at home her family doesn’t speak much Spanish. She wants to be fluent in this language so she can engage and help others that share her culture!

Ian is a senior who will graduate in Spring 2021. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies and a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Landscape Design & Planning. After graduating in the spring, Ian hopes to work as a landscape designer for a few years before completing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree program. He welcomes the opportunity to use Spanish in his career, and this was one of his key motivations for studying Spanish at the U. Through a combination of design and language skills, Ian knows that he will be able to communicate with and better understand a more diverse group of people. Another motivation for studying Spanish at the U was the ability to study abroad for a semester and learn Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country. He studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina in Spring 2020, and he considers this experience to be one of the most beneficial and transformative experiences of his college career. Ian looks forward to being an Ambassador for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies!