5 Questions for a Recent Grad with a Passion for Public Policy
We’re asking students, recent grads, teachers, and counselors five questions on how languages play a role in shaping personal and professional success…
Meet Vivi—a current intern with the National Association of Medical Spanish (NAMS) who grew up in California, speaking both Spanish and English.
1. We’d love to hear more about your language studies at UChicago! What would you say was the determining factor in your eventual decision to double major?
I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2025 with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies (Honors) and a B.A. in Romance Languages & Literatures (Spanish).
I love this question because it highlights just how much remarkable educators can shape remarkable outcomes. I originally considered minoring in Spanish, but my first-ever college Spanish instructor, an amazing professor from the Netherlands who spoke Spanish fluently, set the bar high and gave me a glimpse of the opportunities within my chosen Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies program.
She was kind-hearted, inspiring, and introduced us to Latin American literary masterpieces by authors like Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, and Carlos Fuentes, as well as other icons of the Boom. Through her class, I not only discovered a love for interpreting complex texts and crafting analytical essays but also met some of my earliest university friends who remain close to this day.
Eager to continue on this journey as a second-year student, I decided to pursue the major full time, diving deeper into the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures. Along the way, I met phenomenal peers and teachers, and these individuals came to feel like family. What a special time!
2. What are some of the ways you were able to embrace the greater Latino community and use your Spanish skills outside of the classroom and around campus while at UChicago?
This may be a little out there, but I think Winnie-the-Pooh said it best: “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.”
Exploring America’s third-largest city and its incredibly rich, vibrant neighborhoods (both alone and with friends) shortly after my first year started in 2021 was one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made as a young adult. I have stories for weeks and memories for a lifetime. Whether it was a brief side quest or a full day out, every time I ventured beyond my beloved Hyde Park community, I had a Chicagoan adventure.
For example, in Pilsen and Little Village, historical hubs of Mexican culture, I always used my Spanish to order my favorite torta de bistec and engage with locals, which brought me a deep sense of warmth and connection to my own heritage.
In the realm of public education, I taught math to underprivileged Hispanic/Latino elementary school students on the South Side entirely in Spanish, helping them feel supported and confident as they learned.
Outside the U.S., I used Spanish daily during my study abroad programs in Mexico and Spain, each lasting a little over two months. While I was already deeply familiar with Oaxaca, I loved being surrounded by Spanish on the streets and often ran into other Latinos in Barcelona.
Using my Spanish skills abroad was a vivid reminder that our communities are everywhere, and it was comforting to bond across borders through language.
3. What advice would you like to share with other students who are considering learning a language and/or facing a challenge in their language journey?
My best advice is to think like a superhero. A superhero doesn’t just sit around all day, right? They will undoubtedly test their new powers.
If you’re facing a challenge or becoming frustrated in your language journey, I encourage you to get creative and find at least one trusted person who is fluent in the language you’re learning (e.g., a friend, mentor, or tutor) who you can speak, write, and/or read with casually, but consistently. Whether it’s in person or virtual, use this playful environment to practice, make mistakes, and learn in real time. I’m confident you can find someone willing to help with everything from random questions to tricky conjugations, cheering you on every step of the way.
Bonus: It gets even more interesting when they share cultural tidbits like colloquial expressions or slang that you won’t find in textbooks.
Keep in mind there are no shortcuts to any place worth going, and the hard work will eventually pay off. Over time, you’ll not only improve, but you’ll also start to master your linguistic powers and feel the language as a living part of your daily life!
4. What’s next on your language journey?
One of the topics I’ve fallen in love with is learning about unique traditions and vocab from different places all across Latin America, and appreciating the richness of that diversity. I’m also fascinated by hearing different accents (I love the Puerto Rican one) and exploring the nuances of regional speech.
Having greatly enjoyed an advanced sociolinguistics course at UChicago titled Las regiones del español in 2023, I’d like to continue, whether academically or personally, diving into the dynamic relationship between language and culture across the regions of the Hispanic world.
Considering a future career, I'm interested in work related to U.S. public education policy, community engagement, and multilingual (particularly Spanish) accessibility in civic settings.
5. Have you got a favorite Spanish word or expression? What is it, what does it mean, and why did you choose it?
One of my favorite Spanish expressions is “por si las moscas,” which literally translates to “for if the flies.” I love it not just for its strange creativity, but because every time I say it, it makes my little cousin laugh… and honestly, what’s better than that? An honorable mention is “me late, cacahuate,” a fun way to say “I’m down, peanut.” You’ll always catch me saying phrases that rhyme!
Explore more student & recent grad voices across our blog. And, as always, visit @LangConnectsFdn on social media to share your story with us.