I am bilingual, having studied Spanish throughout my entire school experience. Learning a second language requires dedication and immersion.

My first real experience learning Spanish in a classroom was in elementary school. A Spanish teacher came once a week to our class and taught us basic vocabulary. I remember coming up with tricks in order to memorize the words we were learning, such as saying that sábado started with the same letters as Saturday and that miércoles was the weirdest sounding word, just as Wednesday was in English. Creating word associations and looking for similar root words definitely was helpful in learning the language.

As I went on to middle school, I did not take a Spanish class as art was my elective of choice. In my high school, at least two foreign language courses were required in order to graduate. I decided to sign up for Spanish because I thought it would the most useful to learn.

In Spanish 1, I was taken aback by the teacher, who really emphasized self-teaching. He mostly spoke in English during class, except for songs that he taught us. Every day at the start of class, we sang songs. It started with “A-E-I-O-U,” then moving on “Los Pollitos,” “Un Elefante,” “Sana Sana,” and “Los Colores.” It seemed childish at the time, but today I am glad to have learned these songs. Having to learn vocabulary and grammar through self-teaching gave me skills that have been useful in college and beyond.

Since I enjoyed Spanish 1 & 2, I decided to enroll in Spanish 3. Much to my dismay, I was assigned a new teacher. Her class was handled very differently. This was also the first time I formerly learned Spanish grammar. After this course ended, I no longer wanted to continue. I moved on to a broadcasting course while many of my friends took Spanish 4.

Senior year, I had put Spanish 4 as an alternate course, but aimed to take the next level of the broadcasting class. However, budget cuts were implemented and the broadcasting class was one of the first to go. I was placed in my alternate course: Spanish 4. Since there were only two other students taking level 4, we were placed into the same class as the AP students.

This course was rigorous, and sometimes I felt that I had missed out on some basic Spanish skills that I should have learned. We were given the same instruction and assignments as the AP students. However, as the course went on, I definitely felt more confident in my abilities.

When I first arrived in college, I intended to minor in Spanish and figure out my major somewhere down the road. After taking a Hispanic Cinema class, I realized I had a love for the language and culture and declared my major in Spanish language and literature.

One thing I have taken note of in many of my college-level language courses is the number of students that have been able to travel abroad. I have never been given that opportunity, though it has been a life-long dream to travel.

Luckily, I am still able to converse with native speakers here in Raleigh. Speaking with native speakers is something I would encourage any student of a language to do, as it really helps advance your skills.

The other thing that enables me to learn culture and Spanish outside of class is my love for music and film. I regularly listen to Spanish music and enjoy watching Spanish-language movies.

Although I have not traveled, I hope to in the future and until then I will continue learning what I can in Raleigh. Learning a language is challenging, but it is worth it. It truly is amazing being able to converse with a new group of people!