My desire to learn Chinese, and to ultimately major in it, stemmed from my love of languages. My native language is Spanish and I studied French throughout middle school and high school. After taking my first Chinese class my Sophomore year, the differences between Chinese and other languages fascinated me. From the tonal component to… Read More

The Hispanic Studies department has given me amazing opportunities to develop language skills and travel during my four years at W&M. Through one summer spent in Cádiz and a semester in Seville, I’ve had some incredible adventures on Spain’s beaches, rail lines, and city parks. Volunteering at a local pool, biking around Seville, and going… Read More

Stumbling into my German major has been one of the best decisions of my college career. After a wonderful summer spent in Potsdam, Germany I knew that German Studies was an important part of my path. Combined with my major in Government, the German department has given me opportunities to pursue my interest in Europe… Read More

My name is Honor Leahy, and I am from Nashville, TN. I am graduating with a double major in Chinese Language and Literature and Marketing. I am so thankful to have been a student of the incredible, encouraging, and supportive Chinese program. During my time at The College, I have held various leadership positions in… Read More

Nicholas Marino, from Cold Spring, New York, is a Hispanic Studies major. He transferred to William & Mary as a junior and participated in activities such as the 2017 border delegation and the Cadiz study abroad program in the summer of 2016. He is interested in democracy and Latin American literature. After graduation he will… Read More

Being a French major at the college was a whirlwind of an experience. As someone who was primarily science-oriented, studying French was like an escape for me. Having to process your thoughts in another language is a truly unique experience, one that fewer and fewer Americans today can relate to. I really value my experience… Read More

“Ology” means the “study of”, and “psyche” means the “soul”. Although my primary major is Psychology, I’ve learned so much about the “psyche” in my Hispanic Studies courses. I’ve learned about the “Naked Soul” in the Argentinian writer Alfonsina Storni’s poetry, the struggle to maintain a national identity in Zapatista and Basque culture, the erecting… Read More

Hello! My name is Camilla Renner and I’m a double major in Chinese and Geology. My freshman year I decided to take Chinese purely because I was tired of French, which I had studied all my life. I knew the benefits of knowing other languages and I had no intentions to major but after that… Read More

Majoring in Hispanic Studies has been one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made –whether it was a newfound perspective, research interest, worldview, mentor, or friend the major always added its own spark to my time at William & Mary. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to conduct independent research on literacy… Read More

I am so proud to be graduating from William & Mary with a degree in Chinese! I remember the first time I saw Chinese writing I was incredibly intrigued by the beautiful characters. As I grew older, I developed a dream to become proficient in another language and decided that I wanted to pursue learning… Read More

Grew up in China, living in the US, nourished by French cultures, I see myself as a perpetually curious amateur at art history, creative writing, rock climbing, and jazz vocal. To transcribe the eternal journey of youthful passion on paper, we must keep writing. Perceptions are transient, as are ourselves, and words survive.