Courtney Hoyland

My choice to become a Spanish major came as a last minute decision. I originally applied to CSU Monterey Bay with the intentions of being a Social Work major. I had received my Associate’s degree in Spanish and new that I wanted to continue developing my Spanish skills and eventually be fluent in the language. I sat at orientation and realized I would not have much time in my schedule as a Social Work major to fit in a Spanish minor without taking extra semesters, and knew I would not be satisfied ending my Spanish learning at that level. I made the quick decision to become a Spanish major and thought I would then continue on to graduate school for a Master’s degree in social work.
Sitting through classes taught completely in Spanish and being fully surrounded by aspects of Hispanic culture and life opened my mind to different opportunities and interests. I feel lucky to have been given such a broad understanding of not only the Spanish language, but also the people, the history, and the culture that go along with it. I have developed an in-depth understanding of the linguistic system of the Spanish language as well as of how it compares to English. I have been given a general understanding of the history of Hispanic literature from different genres, eras, and authors of different nationalities, as well as the ability to analyze critically important aspects of Hispanic literature. I have developed knowledge of Spain’s history throughout the centuries, and their influences in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. I have also developed strong technology skills that have been put to use throughout several courses and will continue to be used in future endeavors. Each of these skills and understandings, as well as how they apply to individual MLO’s are demonstrated through narratives and project samples accessible through the links below.
Many of my experiences throughout my time as a Spanish major have led me to a change in career course. After
my time volunteering with Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, I decided to apply to law school with the
hopes of continuing to work with families and the immigrant community. I am proud to say that I will be attending
Pacific McGeorge School of Law in fall 2013 and look forward to the opportunity to participate in their summer
study abroad program in Guatemala next year.
I am most proud of the overall development I have witnessed in my Spanish speaking skills in the short period of
time that I have spent as a student at CSU Monterey Bay. I am still amazed at my ability to sit through two-hour
lectures in Spanish and being able to understand every word that is spoken as well as actively participate in
discussion. I am proud and extremely appreciative of my abilities to think in two languages and flow smoothly
back and forth between the two.
For the future, I plan to continue practicing speaking the language every opportunity that I get. I feel that I have
reached my original goal of being able to speak the language comfortably, but I know that I still need to work on
developing my understanding of the colloquial idioms that we take for granted in our native languages. I plan to
make the most of my time developing these skills and put them to use in my future law career.
Sitting through classes taught completely in Spanish and being fully surrounded by aspects of Hispanic culture and life opened my mind to different opportunities and interests. I feel lucky to have been given such a broad understanding of not only the Spanish language, but also the people, the history, and the culture that go along with it. I have developed an in-depth understanding of the linguistic system of the Spanish language as well as of how it compares to English. I have been given a general understanding of the history of Hispanic literature from different genres, eras, and authors of different nationalities, as well as the ability to analyze critically important aspects of Hispanic literature. I have developed knowledge of Spain’s history throughout the centuries, and their influences in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. I have also developed strong technology skills that have been put to use throughout several courses and will continue to be used in future endeavors. Each of these skills and understandings, as well as how they apply to individual MLO’s are demonstrated through narratives and project samples accessible through the links below.
Many of my experiences throughout my time as a Spanish major have led me to a change in career course. After
my time volunteering with Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, I decided to apply to law school with the
hopes of continuing to work with families and the immigrant community. I am proud to say that I will be attending
Pacific McGeorge School of Law in fall 2013 and look forward to the opportunity to participate in their summer
study abroad program in Guatemala next year.
I am most proud of the overall development I have witnessed in my Spanish speaking skills in the short period of
time that I have spent as a student at CSU Monterey Bay. I am still amazed at my ability to sit through two-hour
lectures in Spanish and being able to understand every word that is spoken as well as actively participate in
discussion. I am proud and extremely appreciative of my abilities to think in two languages and flow smoothly
back and forth between the two.
For the future, I plan to continue practicing speaking the language every opportunity that I get. I feel that I have
reached my original goal of being able to speak the language comfortably, but I know that I still need to work on
developing my understanding of the colloquial idioms that we take for granted in our native languages. I plan to
make the most of my time developing these skills and put them to use in my future law career.