My Goal: Fluency in the Spanish Language by Ashley

My Goal: Fluency in the Spanish Language by Ashley - July 2015 Scholarship Essay

When I began my college career, I knew I wanted to pursue a major that would provide me with a useful skill set: something that would enable me to grow as an individual, to challenge myself, and ultimately to better understand the world around me. This is why I have chosen to study Spanish Language and Culture, a major that focuses on the understanding and interpretation of the language and the society in which it has and continues to develop. It is my goal to come out of my college experience with a fluent understanding of the Spanish language and a knowledge and awareness of Spanish culture. Achieving this goal will provide me with the practical and marketable skill of being bilingual, which I can utilize in any sphere of employment. Additionally, fluency in the Spanish language will give me the opportunity to enhance my appreciation of language as an art, and also will enable me to reach out to help others.

When researching the advantages of the major I had chosen, I was intrigued to see the diversity of its relevance. Marketing, journalism, and business were among some of the standard-track options which bilingual fluency would open up for me. Interpretation, translation, and diplomatic work were a few of the options more centered in the course of study itself. I learned that my interest in becoming fluent in a second language could be of enormous benefit in the working world, yet that was not the primary motivating factor in inducing me to study Spanish.

While I was interested in the corporate options available to me, I was even more intrigued by a different notion: an artistic, rather than monetary ideal. Through my love of reading and writing in my own language, my enjoyment of playing piano and guitar, and my two years so far studying Spanish in community college, I have come to appreciate the artistic reality of language. I saw that learning to speak another language has intrinsic value, irrespective of its marketability, and that the effect of pursuing a skill for the love of it would do far more than simply provide me with a means to earn an income. Furthermore, when I began to explore some other outlets by which I could utilize my course of study, I came to realize that my goal of attaining fluency in Spanish could be directed toward reaching out in charitable, non-profit, and missionary efforts, in which my ability to communicate in a second language would enable me to better serve those in need. Many places in this world, and many countries in the Spanish-speaking provinces of the Americas, are afflicted with poverty, hunger, disease, and oppression, requiring the assistance of those willing to step outside their comfort zone to lend a helping hand. I began to realize that my goal of fluency would help me to make a positive difference in the lives of those who need help.

Thus my principal goal in college is to become fluent in Spanish, and to expand my awareness of the world by learning about the beauty of Spanish culture. My goal has already opened my eyes to the broad scope of opportunities available to me, and I’ve seen the marketability of my dream. However what is of greater significance to me is to pursue the art of language, exploring it for its intrinsic worth, and to utilize my ability to communicate in Spanish to reach out and help others.