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

Throughout my time as a Hispanic Studies major at William & Mary I have gained fluency in Spanish, the opportunity to live in Seville with a spectacular host family, and a strong intimacy with Spanish culture, literature, art, film, and history. It’s safe to say I will truly never look at Pablo Neruda’s poetry or… 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

The most memorable thing that I will take with me is that my professors of the Hispanic Studies Department truly care. They exhibited “One Tribe, One Family” to the highest degree as they advocated on my behalf during all five years of gaining my Bachelor’s. They stood by my side in making the hard decision… Read More

My favorite part about my studies is that my learning was never limited to the classroom. My professors actively encouraged me to apply my readings and discussions to the real world, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in two study abroad programs: studying politics and flamenco in Cádiz, Spain and… Read More

Through the MLL department, I’ve had the opportunity to take both French and German classes from inspiring, engaging, and genuinely kind professors. I’ve been not only a student, but also a tutor, TA, and grader, allowing me to share my knowledge and passion for foreign languages with other talented students, many of whom I can… Read More

Pushing myself to read, write, understand, and speak French during my time as an undergraduate allowed not only for the growth of knowledge and character, but the development of skills that I’m positive will prove to be invaluable. I’ve come to appreciate and also critically analyze various perspectives, forms of art, and literary works as… 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 Shihao Du, a German Studies and Linguistics double major. To be honest, four years ago, when I just embarked on my journey at W&M, German Studies was not one of the subjects, that I was considering to major in. Back then the only experience I had with Germany and the German language… Read More

As a student of Hispanic Studies at William & Mary I have been given the skills and opportunities to develop both my proficiency as a Spanish speaker, my cultural knowledge of Spain and Latin America, and my general understanding of people with backgrounds different than my own. Some of the best parts of my experience… Read More

Thompson Hangen decided to major in RPSS after returning from a two year mission as an LDS missionary in Samara, Russia. While in Russia, Thompson lived in various cities, from Kazan to Saratov, and gained a deep love for Russian culture, leading him to declare a major in RPSS. Thompson has accepted a position as… Read More

I was initially drawn to Russian studies by my interest in Russian history. When I arrived at William & Mary, I was surprised by the extent of Russian related classes and activities available to me and I quickly began to immerse myself in the program. What started as just an interest in history expanded into… Read More

After studying abroad in Niedersachsen, Germany during my junior year of high school, I knew that I wanted to continue studying German culture, language, and history. Upon my arrival at the College of William and Mary I declared my major in German Studies my sophomore year along with my major in Russian Post-Soviet Studies. Not… Read More

I was born and raised in Chortkiv, a beautiful city in Western Ukraine. Ever since I can remember, I have always been passionate about learning new cultures, languages and the history of Europe and hoped for a greater opportunity to see and experience the world, face new challenges, and become part of the place with… Read More

Majoring in Hispanic Studies has changed the way I engage the world around me. It has shown me how to seek and advocate for the humanity of others, how to use the pen as a sword and words as light. In learning of so many of the tragedies of humankind, I have seen its sorrow,… Read More

My Chinese studies began with a study abroad trip to Beijing in the summer of 2012 and I have enjoyed studying Chinese ever since. Now, five years later, the Chinese program plays a major role in my life at William & Mary. As my Chinese skills have grown, so has my involvement with Chinese organizations… 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

My experience as a student in the William and Mary French and Francophone Studies department has been inspiring and illuminating. As a student in the French department, I had the opportunity to learn French from brilliant professors from diverse backgrounds. I had the opportunity to spend one week in Paris with classmates and Professor Fauvel,… Read More

When I came to W&M I knew I wanted to continue taking Spanish classes, but I had no idea that would lead to becoming a Hispanic Studies major! Spending a semester in Sevilla opened my eyes to new and exciting experiences, like living with my wonderful host family, and exploring Spain. Because of my time… 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

The Hispanic Studies department at William and Mary gave me the flexibility to pursue my passion for language and culture while also taking classes and exploring my interests outside of my major. During the summer following my sophomore year I studied in Cadiz, Spain and did a research project on Spanish gender roles, including the… Read More

My introduction to the Chinese Studies program was an extraordinary bit of serendipity. The Chinese department is one of the best communities at W&M and gave me the opportunity of a life-time to study abroad for a semester in Beijing. Apart from the language, the emphasis on the culture and history influenced me to declare a… 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

MLL is more than a university department, it is a family. My professors and my classmates are among the coolest people I know and it has been a privilege to know them. As a Math major, it was really important for me to maintain my connection with the humanities and my French major gave that… 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

If you had told me I would major in French at the beginning of college, I would not have believed you. However, I knew it was a possibility after taking my first French class at the College and that I would major in it after my second class. The French department has been both an… 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

Undertaking a major in German Studies was one of the best decisions of my college career. I owe a debt of gratitude to professors Campbell, Gully, Leventhal and others for teaching me not just German, but helping me to discover better ways to approach life, the universe, and everything. Due in part to their influences, I… 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

My time with the German Program at William & Mary has been a focal point of my college experience. Coming from a military family, I spent my high school years actually living in Germany. The German program at W&M allowed me to continue learning the language, immerse myself in the culture, and gave me opportunities to go… 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

My name is Kara Smith. My major is Chinese Language and Culture. The Chinese program at William and Mary has helped me to improve my language ability and become more confident in my speaking skills. One of the memories that I will take with me is the opportunity to study abroad at Tsinghua University. Experiencing… Read More

Hello, my name is Londyn Smith and I am graduating with a Russian & Post-Soviet Studies major. I first became interested in Russian when I took it for my language requirement, and I just completely fell in love with it. While studying Russian, I studied abroad in Saint Petersburg, lived in the Russian house, and… Read More

My name is Maggie Swift, and I’m a Mathematical Biology major with a Russian & Post-Soviet Studies minor.  I’ve been a part of the Russian department my entire time at W&M and I couldn’t be happier!  When coming into college, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to take Russian, as it wasn’t… Read More

Through the MLL department at William & Mary I have been lucky enough to study abroad three times, in Cádiz, Seville, and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. My time abroad embedded in the Spanish culture provided a better understanding of the language and the context in which it exists. It also gave me appreciation and context… Read More

I really enjoyed my time with the French department. I didn’t come into college expecting to be a French major, but early on my freshman year I found that my most rewarding classes were where I was able to speak French and learn about other cultures. Through my time in these classes and abroad in… Read More

I have had a wonderful experience these past four years in the French and Francophone Studies Department. I have always felt that there is a lot of unity and sincerity in this community of scholars despite the endless variety in ways my fellow students and I plan on integrating our French degree  into our adult… Read More

Transferring to W&M has been a roller coaster, but one of the highlights has been being involved with the MLL department. I started taking German a year and a half ago at W&M and it’s easily the skill I’ve gained here of which I’m most proud. I loved going to Professor Jeltsch’s German class every day, and… Read More

I came into college determined to be an English major, but I never expected to like Russian and Post-Soviet Studies enough to add it as a minor. I started taking Russian language classes only to fulfill William & Mary’s language requirement. I remember sitting in my freshman dorm doing laundry for the first time and… 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.