Reflecting on my essay about "El Simbolismo en San Manuel Bueno, Mártir," from my 20th Century Literature class, I've gained valuable skills transcending literary analysis, including extracting meaningful symbols and themes, enhancing communication across diverse audiences, and applying cultural understanding to analyze symbolism in various contexts. This project aligned with my interest in cultural studies, connecting literature with broader philosophical questions and resonating with my curiosity about intersections of literature, culture, religion, and morality. Despite challenges in translation and interpretation, the essay successfully navigated intricate symbolism, shedding light on character complexities and thematic layers. Overall, this project deepened my understanding of symbolism while enhancing analytical, communication, and cultural competency skills, valuable for future academic and professional endeavors. 

Through the process of writing an essay on potential innovations for Toledo, Spain, for my Cultural Heritage in Spain course, I gained insights into the city's challenges amidst increasing tourism. Analyzing its strengths and proposing solutions honed problem-solving and critical thinking skills, while also fostering effective communication and empathy. This project's outcomes offer conceptual solutions to Toledo's issues, dependent on city willingness and stakeholder support. My role involved research, analysis, and persuasive presentation of proposals, navigating language nuances and balancing diverse interests. This experience provides a practical application of research, critical thinking, and communication skills applicable in urban planning, tourism management, and public health initiatives, contributing to inclusive and sustainable city development. 

In this document, I analyze the healthcare policies for undocumented immigrants in the United States and Spain, and I compare my firsthand experience as a foreigner in both nations for my Cultural Heritage of Spain class. I talk about the stark contrast between the two countries, and emphasize how the fear of deportation significantly hinders undocumented immigrants in the U.S. from seeking necessary medical care. Moreover, I highlight Spain's provision of legal healthcare access for undocumented immigrants. In the paper, I express many ethical considerations that healthcare providers need to consider, notably the obligation to report undocumented patients in the U.S. and the absence of such concerns in Spain. 

In this paper for my 20th Century Spanish Literature class, I examine the evolution of women's roles in Spain, emphasizing the influence of Franco's dictatorship on gender norms and the subsequent liberation of women after his death. Using the novel "El Mismo Mar de Todos Los Veranos," I explore the shift from a constrained perception of women as primarily mothers and wives, dictated by Catholic ideology during Franco's regime, to a post-dictatorship era where women attained newfound freedom and independence. While I was writing this paper, it was interesting to gain  better insights into Spain's historical and cultural transformations, specifically how political regimes shape gender roles. I also had the opportunity to use the personal experience of my host mother to better understand what women went through in that time. 

In this report, I delve into the advancement of healthcare in Morocco, particularly in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). I highlight the nation's progress in achieving SDG3, especially on the improved maternal and neonatal rates and reduced HIV infections. Through this work, I researched Morocco's healthcare history, cultural influences, and recent reforms that might have influenced health outcomes. The knowledge gained and the skills attained from this project will help me as a future healthcare worker, especially in analyzing and recommending improvements in global healthcare. Some challenges when writing this paper included navigating complex healthcare indicators and proposing actionable recommendations. 

In this research paper, I explore the issue of  vaccination coverage compliance among rural Latino children in the United States using the social determinants of health, qualitative data collection methodology ,and the socio-ecological health model. I used data from scientific articles, journals, and statistical analyses to identify determinants at various levels of the model. Some of the constant variables included: significant distrust toward the government and healthcare within Latino communities, notable disparities in low-income rural Latino communities regarding healthcare access and vaccines, and increased vaccination barriers for children in undocumented and mixed-status households due to insufficient federal funds. From reading various intervention studies, a lot of the research suggests that education and community relationship-building are the most effective strategies for promoting vaccine adoption among Latino children in rural U.S. communities. Moreover, some of my recommendations included expanding CDC's Vaccine for Children effort to encompass all undocumented children in rural areas using mobile clinics, and marketing campaigns in local community centers. Additionally, some of my proposed educational reforms involved integrating vaccination importance into public school health curriculum aligned with CDC guidelines. My role involved synthesizing and interpreting data to draw conclusions, and challenges included navigating complex determinants and proposing actionable recommendations for vaccination improvement in rural Latino communities. Throughout the process of writing this report, I gained many skills that are applicable to future projects in public health and community-oriented initiatives.