My name is Madeleine Aggeler and I’m a senior at William and Mary, majoring in French and History. My parents’ started sending me to french schools when I was in kindergarten, and I was not aware that an English education was an option until the first grade, when my cousin told me that they got… Read More

At the end of my first year here at W&M, I expressed an interest in Global Studies to my freshman adviser While it was difficult to narrow down what I wanted to study, she told me that the Russian Studies department was one of the best, most devoted faculties in the college. Since then, I’ve… Read More

My name is Lindsey Anderson. I am graduating in May as a French & Francophone Studies major and Philosophy minor. I was first introduced to French in high school in North Carolina and I went to Montpellier the summer after my freshman year at William & Mary, and since then started taking German as well…. Read More

My name is Bonnie Beckner and I have studied both Linguistics and Chinese Language and Culture here at the College. Some of my favorite memories from my college experience are from the summer I spent abroad with the William and Mary Chinese department. Studying for nine weeks in Beijing with my peers taught me to… Read More

As a Tunisian French American, speaking 5 languages, I believe that people everywhere are connected and art is a universal language. I was born in the northern city of Tunisia, Bizerte. At the age of six, my parents immigrated to France where I attended Nice University and majored in Foreign Languages. Since 1991, The USA… Read More

My name is Megan Bentley and I’m from Northern Virginia. I’m a graduating senior at the College with a double major in Hispanic Studies and Women’s Studies. I started learning Spanish in first grade at an immersion school and when I was asked as a kindergartener if I wanted to take Spanish the next year… Read More

I was born and have lived my entire life in Fairfax, and developed an interest in German Studies when I began reading German novels during my last year of high school. During my junior year I was privileged to be able to study at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster and explore the Westphalian countryside. Some… Read More

I first began studying french at the age of ten to prepare for a class trip to Paris. Though the trip ended up being cancelled my studies continued. In high school I participated in a Rotary International student exchange spending a summer in the south of Belgium. In college I wound up majoring in French along with… Read More

I had always wanted to study Japanese. I chose to attend William and Mary because of its opportunities with Japanese in and out of the classroom, and once here decided to major in East Asian Studies (technically Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) and picked up a secondary major in psychology along the way. During my… Read More

I came to William & Mary with a strong interest in literature and foreign languages, and I decided to major in Hispanic Studies after taking several fascinating courses that allowed me to engage with a variety of time periods, regions, and approaches to the analysis of Hispanic cultural production.  Over the course of my four… Read More

My name is Dereck Chapman (夏德瑞) and I am graduating with a double major in Chinese and Government with the class of 2013. I started studying Chinese at William and Mary in the fall of 2010. At the time, I was desperately trying to decide whether to study Arabic or Chinese. However, given my personal… Read More

I am pursuing a double-major in German Studies and History.  As a sophomore, I resumed the study of German I began in high school, and spent the following summer abroad at the Universität Potsdam.  The immersion program at the Universität Potsdam greatly improved my ability and comfort with German, and bolstered my interest in the… Read More

I am a Hispanic Studies and Public Policy double major, hailing from the suburbs of Chicago. When I came to William & Mary, I knew that I wanted to continue my study of the Spanish language and study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. After taking Intro to Hispanic Studies, I realized that I was not… Read More

I am a Chinese and English double major. During my years at the College, I have been very involved with the William and Mary Rowing team, holding an executive position and serving as Men’s Varsity Team Captain. In the summer of 2012, I studied Chinese at Middlebury College’s Summer Language School. This experience accelerated my understanding of Chinese, laying… Read More

Originally interested in majoring in biology and environmental science, I took my first Hispanic Studies class in order to maintain the Spanish I learned in high school. I quickly fell in love with the program and decided to become a major. One of the many highlights of my time at William and Mary was being able to use the language… Read More

I am a double major in Hispanic Studies and Global Studies with a Concentration in Latin America here at the College. I decided to major in Hispanic Studies early on so that I could take advantage of the many opportunities that the department has to offer. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel… Read More

I am a senior Hispanic Studies major from Richmond, VA.  Since middle school, both in and outside of school, Spanish has always been the subject that most excites me.  I think that the process of learning a language is one of the most fun, challenging, frustrating, useful, and rewarding things you can do. This major… Read More

I am Betsy Goldemen, a Chinese language and government double major. After graduation, I will participate in the Critical Language Scholarship program in Qingdao, China for eight weeks during the summer and will then continue my studies in Beijing. By studying Chinese at William and Mary, I have gained the ability to think deeply and… Read More

Kayla Grant graduates as an English and French double major, having been awarded Highest Honors for her thesis in the English Department. She studied French throughout her time at William and Mary, and also had the opportunity to practice her language skills while studying abroad in Lyon, France and Meknes, Morocco. Kayla also studied Arabic for… Read More

Majoring in Hispanic Studies means being able to contribute to the ongoing development of the field.  As a major, I felt encouraged to conduct scholarly pursuits even when I was only starting, and that encouragement has remained.  The Hispanic Studies program at W&M is very inclusive.  All students are rewarded for the effort and thoughts… Read More

Bonjour, My name is Angela Hales, and I’m currently a senior at William and Mary graduating with a double major in French and Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Linguistics. My interest in French began in the eighth grade and grew throughout high school, where I had a superb mentor in my French teacher, Madame… Read More

Since I was six years old, I’ve been in love with the French language. I tried to teach myself French by listening to cheesy “Family Circus Lyric Language French” tapes. At that time, however, I definitely could not imagine the day that I would be graduating from W&M as a French and European Studies double… Read More

When I arrived at William and Mary I had always had an interest in Hispanic culture, but I never thought that interest would lead me to declare it as my major. I knew from the start that I wanted to major in Psychology, but It was my “Latin@ Studies” freshmen seminar taught by Professor Riofrio… Read More

Majoring in Hispanic Studies and Government, I have enjoyed combining these interests in my coursework, research, and internships.  I have particularly benefited from the flexibility that Hispanic Studies offers through courses and experiences related to both Spain and Latin America.  Through William and Mary’s Cádiz, Spain study abroad program, I researched immigrants’ representation in the… Read More

I chose to study German because of my family history, but the German Studies Department has taught me that there is so much more to the subject than just acquiring the language.  I have gained a sense of the history of Germany within a European context, I have learned about the culture and seen it… Read More

My name is Alexis Higgins and I am a transfer student from New Jersey. I have always been in love with the French language, culture and history since I began taking the language when I was around the age of 12.  I found it to be so beautiful which is why I have stayed with… Read More

My name is Daniel Hodges and I am a senior specializing in Francophone Studies and International Relations at the College of William and Mary. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, I started learning French at an early age and continued this passion throughout college, first by studying abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris and then by conducting… Read More

After learning about William and Mary’s unique study abroad programs, I decided to combine my love of Spanish with my passion for education and double major in Hispanic Studies and Secondary Education. Within Hispanic Studies, I studied and conducted academic research in Cádiz, Spain and gained a greater understanding of the human rights movements in… Read More

I am a senior, double majoring in Hispanic Studies and Secondary Education. I chose to major in Hispanic Studies because I wanted to be able to communicate with Spanish speaking individuals from all parts of the world. For me, it’s not just enough to know the language but you have to have some cultural and… Read More

I am a Hispanic Studies and Psychology double Major from Suffolk, Virginia.  My love of the Spanish language began in high school where I served as a translator during service trips to Managua, Nicaragua.  My college career in Hispanic Studies sent me on a journey through roughly and hilariously translated poetry, literary criticism of the mind-bending symbolism… Read More

I am a senior currently double majoring in Hispanic Studies and English at the College. As a Modern Languages student, I have been able to take courses geared towards my Hispanic Studies major and courses geared toward a future career as an English teacher abroad. Through my course load, I have immersed myself in both… Read More

I will graduate from the College of William & Mary in May 2013 with a double major in Chinese and Finance with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. I gained extensive linguistic and cultural understanding during the William & Mary summer program at Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2011. My experience in the capital and elsewhere within the country… Read More

Hi. My name is Inho Kim and I am currently double majoring in Chinese and Economics. I plan to go back to South Korea and serve my military service there for a few years as an officer. I truly believe that studying Chinese at WM allowed me to learn the language, culture, and history of… Read More

My name is Catherine Lipper, and I am a graduating senior originally from New Providence, NJ.  I am a double major in International Relations and French and Francophone Studies.  I first became interested in both international relations and French when I lived abroad in London, England for four years during elementary school.  While at W&M,… Read More

I am a Chinese and Finance Double-Major originally from Chesapeake, Virginia. On campus I am involved with the Undergraduate Honor Council, Tribe Rugby, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and a few volunteer organizations. This summer I will be participating in the South China Internship Program in Guangzhou, China. Afterwards I will return to William and Mary to… Read More

I’m Alex McGrath, A Russian Studies and International Relations double major at the College of William and Mary. In high school I very much enjoyed studying history and world geography, as well as following current world events. When I arrived at college, I decided I wanted to turn my interest in history into relevant internationally… Read More

As the son of a French mother, I already had a strong incentive to take French classes as early as middle school. However, it wasn’t until spring semester 2012 after two years on the fence, that I actually decided to pursue a French major. A decision, I couldn’t have made without the support of my… Read More

I have always been interested in languages and looked to the W&M Hispanic Studies Department as a way to expand my fluency in Spanish. I consider the true capstone of my major to be her semester spent abroad in Sevilla, Spain. While in Andalucía I worked teaching theatre and English to children and teens at Fundación Don Bosco and… Read More

My double major in Hispanic Studies and Government was a foregone conclusion before I arrived at college; although I’m not sure my freshman self quite realized that. I fell in love with Spain at 15, after traveling abroad alone to live with a host family and I have never looked back. Once I arrived at… Read More

I came to the College of William and Mary in 2009 to learn about Chinese language and culture from some of the country’s best professors in that field.  Studying in the Chinese department provided me with many challenges and opportunities, and allowed me to make lasting friendships with people living halfway around the world.  After graduation, I… Read More

For me, deciding to become a Hispanic Studies major took in a variety of factors. I was able to satisfy my creativity by incorporating cultural production (art, literature, film, music, dance….) into my studies. At the same time, the practicality of developing my Spanish language skills was undeniably beneficial to my community, career, and life… Read More

I am a senior Hispanic Studies major from Haymarket, Virginia. Always having a love for the Spanish language and a desire to teach, I decided to major in Hispanic Studies sophomore year after working with some truly inspiring professors. I spent the 2011-2012 academic year in Spain studying at the University of Seville and teaching high school and… Read More

Bonjour! My name is Madelaine Spangler, and I am a senior at the College from Richmond, Virginia. I am a French and International Relations double major.     As a young child, I fell in love with French language and culture. My mother speaks French fluently, and whether she was teaching me simple words or reading… Read More

I am a German Studies and Government double-major. I have been studying German since my freshman year at William and Mary and lived in the German House first semester sophomore year. During my second semester sophomore year I studied abroad at Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany through the American Junior Year Abroad program. My semester at… Read More

From living in the “Casa Italiana,” to studying Renaissance Art for a summer in Florence, to teaching English to kindergarteners in Siena for five months, my experiences with the Italian culture and language have been eye-opening. Prior to entering William and Mary, learning a second language revolved around memorizing vocabulary and filling out grammar worksheets,… Read More

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to foreign languages and cultures, attributing my interest not only to my multi-ethnic family, but also, perhaps surprisingly, to my solely English-speaking upbringing.  Throughout my childhood, I had exposure to many cultures, Portuguese and Puerto Rican being the most prevalent.  But somehow, without the… Read More