In sixth grade, I elected to take Spanish as my middle school language. As I continued taking Spanish through high school, I enjoyed how learning Spanish challenged me and the opportunity learning a new language presented to connect with others. Once I reached college at Ohio Wesleyan University, I found that my Spanish courses were the ones that I most enjoyed and I decided to major in what would allow me to use my Spanish skills each and everyday: Spanish and Education. During my junior year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Salamanca, Spain where I lived with a host family and attended classes at La Universidad de Salamanca. It was during this time I felt my language skills truly take off as I spoke only in Spanish with my host family, professors, and new friends.
After returning from Salamanca, completing my undergraduate degree, and beginning my teaching career, I continue to maintain and improve my language skills through maintaining contact with friends I made during my time in Salamanca, communicating often with native-speaking students and families, reading popular books in Spanish, and viewing Spanish movies and TV series.
This photo was taken on my first day in Salamanca in La Plaza Mayor with my host parents.
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