An update from senior Spanish education major, Brittni Tengler.
In high school, the class I looked most forward to was Spanish because it was intriguing and I enjoyed learning about other cultures around the world. It has been a great experience being a student that studies language at Illinois State because there are so many people in the department to support your learning and help you grow in your language.
I am currently part of the executive board of Sigma Delta Pi, which is the Spanish Honor Society, and it has opened a new door for me allowing me to speak Spanish outside of the classroom and in different environments. Also, I have had the opportunity to be a Spanish assistant in the classroom on Saturdays for a language school for kids for the past three semesters.
One thing I really enjoy about my major is being able to take classes with different professors and learn about their culture and how they bring it into the classroom. I have studied abroad twice during my time at Illinois State. The first time was for a month in Avila, Spain, and the second time was for a semester in Granada, Spain. Studying abroad was one of the best experiences of my life, and to this day all I think about is going back.
One thing that stuck with me was my host family that I lived with in Granada because they took me in as one of their own and gave me love every day and helped me make it feel like home. Also, I was able to make great friendships and to this day we still keep in touch. After I graduate, I will start teaching Spanish in a high school setting for a couple of years and after that I would like to return to return to Spain and teach on a naval base.
