Personal Statement Study Spanish Abroad

I walk over to the nine-year-old boy sitting across the room as I reach for my pen and sheet of paper. As I approached him, I halted. Quietly, I asked him what he needed help with. Looking confused, he asked me what the word bough meant. I froze. I didn’t know what the word meant. Embarrassed of not knowing a fifth grade word, I asked the teacher for some assistance and after she told me what the word meant I understood and was then able to explain to him that a bough is just a synonym for a branch. Noticing that David was still confused as to what he was reading, I sat beside him and allowed him to read the passage out loud to me. While I defined the words that he didn’t know and listened to him read the passage, I was able to classify him as an English learner who just wanted to be just as good as the other kids.

I chose this program because I believe that knowing Spanish will enable me to become a better person, a better global citizen, and a better teacher. In the past, I had the privilege of working, in my community, with ESL students whose families were unfamiliar with the American school system and recently with the daughter of one of my friends from Mexico. My friend, even after 20 years in the U.S., barely speaks English and because of that she can only work as a housekeeper. Her daughter is sixteen years of age, she never finished secondary school in Mexico and she does not speak English. Her mom decided to find her a job in the housekeeping industry and to not send her to school

From an early age, I had the desire to give back to my community. This desire was likely instilled in me by my mother, who as a school teacher, went to great lengths to help her students achieve academically. To better do this, she created at Tupelo Middle School in Mississippi, the Mermaids and Argonauts Program, which allowed students to travel on extended school trips to locations where they were able to have hands-on experiences at zoos, science labs, colleges, museums, and more across the country. As her child, I was able to tag along on many of these trips, which fueled my desire to learn about and interact with my environment. It left me with the great hope that someday I would be able to have such experiences abroad, in order to better learn about the people and cultures with which I interact. For this reason, I hope to study abroad this summer in Pachuca, Mexico.

Many people immigrate to the United States from different countries to begin a better life. Once in the American territory, the first step for success is to learn the English language. Richard Rodriguez, the writer of "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood" describes the language decisions he faced as a child: "Outside the house was public society; inside the house was private" (16). The English language is the primary language in the United States, and it must be learned to be able to communicate with the public world. The language that we speak at home is considered to be private because it is only used in the presence of the people we feel comfortable with, our family. Families immigrate to

Along with being a diligent student who has been enrolled in 11 Advanced Placement classes, I have also dedicated my time to other causes. For example, I have volunteered at public libraries, Special Olympics events, orphanages for intellectually disabled children, and food pantries. While maintaining a rigorous course load and volunteering, I also work at Kumon. I tutor children to boost their confidences and understanding of concepts vital to their future success. Moreover, I have received membership to The National Honor Society and have been awarded an AP Scholar with Merit Award. My dedication to becoming more culturally aware and five years of enrollment in Spanish classes has allowed me to be inducted into Spanish Honor Society. Within

As long as I can remember my accent has always played a role in my life. There have been moments of uncertainty, discouragement, annoyance, and lastly pride. Throughout each emotional stage I’ve learn acceptance and responsibility of what defines me as a women who happens to be Latina. In Tanya Barrientos “Se Habla Español” she defines what resonates within me “Without having to offer apologies or show remorse. If it will help, I will go first. Aqui estoy. Spanish-challenged and pura Latina (45). She beautifully states the acceptance that too many find difficulty fitting in. Especially in a world that will defined you not only by your looks but as well as the way you speak.

Teachers have the power to change the world and to make a difference in the student's life. Teacher is a facilitator of knowledge, motivator, advisor and a positive person that can improve the student's education. I decided to pursue the career of education because I have the desire to help others. I also have the ambition to provide encouragement and support to the people that need it. Becoming a teacher means more than sharing my knowledge to the students. It is a commitment with society to shape the performance and learning of future generations.

Growing up in a small town, with the knowledge of a small town community can have an effect on you. Having the respect and dignity to know between right and wrong adds and interesting aspects into a life style. Growing up in a small community makes you realize what it is like to have small class rooms and having your teachers know you by a first name basis.Knowing everyone on each sport team because “everyone knows everyone in a small town”. I had the ability to be able to ride my bike down the street without a real question of my safety where I grew up in Worland Wyoming. I have different academic interests than others may, I enjoy different extracurricular activities than other students, and life experiences that are unlike anyone else that have shaped me into who I am today.

I am a Spanish major with a track in Secondary Education and a minor in International Studies, and I am an Honors College student. Hence, my course schedule is rather tight and does not have much flexibility. This study abroad program is of great assistance, as I will be able to get credits for my Spanish major and Honors College electives during the summer while exploring a new country. Through this experience, I will be able to enhance my academic interests. I am hoping to immensely improve my Spanish language skills and see education from an international perspective. Also, the Honors College emphasizes the importance of experiential learning through study abroad. In addition, my professional career goals include teaching Spanish and going

I was born and raised in Chicago, but as a child my first language was Polish. My parents came here from Poland not knowing any English, so it was really hard for me to understand English because I had no real help at home. As parents made me learn Polish as my first language because it was the only language they knew, it was really hard for me to learn English as another language at a really young age. I was in the bilingual program in elementary school, which helped me with all the struggles I had. The bilingual program gave me all the help I needed that I couldn't get at home and was a great help for me. As I grew up, the years were getting easier and easier. As I was going into freshman year of high school, everything was getting easier

Moreover, I was in my junior year when this took part in a series of events where I excel making me figure upon a selected group of students. I received the AVID Grit Award an honor for those who showed determination. I was one of the two AVID students who received choose from 190 students. However, since I came to the United States I did not change much. Furthermore, I still feeling like the self-reliant techy programmer fully engage with his studies and trying to be on balance.

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I chose this program because it took place in a Spanish speaking country, and was a Spanish-based program. The courses provided would fulfill requirements for my Spanish minor, and I was interested in experiencing the course in service-learning which I hope will give me experience utilizing my Spanish in a stimulating way. In the future, I expect having experience travelling outside of the country will be beneficial. Personally, I also wanted to get extended exposure to Spanish by being immersed in language and experiencing it outside of the classroom. Even though I have been study Spanish for several years, I have very little experience speaking it for my own personal uses. Leaning Spanish in a classroom is beneficial for using Spanish academically,

After talking to other University of Denver students, studying abroad seems to be one of, if not the, highlight of their academic career. The skills and lessons learned abroad are some of the most valuable in relation to growing as a person. I am an environmental science major and beginning to take classes for a data analytics minor. Studying environmental science in Colorado is amazing because of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains coming together to create a unique environment; however, the environment involves much more than just what is in Colorado. My main goal for college is to find a specific passion to pursue in terms of different environments and the direction of my career. Also, I hope to learn many different perspectives

My goal at Spain Park is to get involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible while still maintaining my grades. I'm a member of BEST Robotics, Engineering Academy, UNICEF, GMAC, B.R.I.D.G.E, Girl-Up, and captain of the girl’s Tennis Team. GMAC, the Girls Minority Achievement Council, is a club for minority girls that achieve academic excellence.the product of the United Nation Foundation’s adolescent girl campaign, Girl-Up gives girls in developing countries equal opportunities for education, a healthy violence-free life, plus social and economic abilities. UNICEF, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, focuses on protecting the rights and well-being of children around the globe. Engineering Academy, a class