I’m Seaira, and I’m graduating this spring with a major in Spanish and Linguistics. Besides Spanish, I’ve studied French, Portuguese, and Latin, and I’m currently learning Japanese. Also, I’m writing an honors thesis on the grammar of a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala called Chuj (the language in the title; it means ‘how are you?’). Through my research, I’ve been able to form relationships with indigenous people of Guatemala that migrated to the US a few years ago, and because of this I’ve been able to get involved in Latin American immigrant communities and see the issues they face. Therefore, a topic that interests me is immigration and the way that the languages of immigrants in the US are devalued. I’m really passionate about foreign language education of Anglo-Americans in order to combat this issue, and I’ve been accepted to be a high school Spanish teacher with Teach For America after I graduate. Thanks for reading!

Studying for my Japanese midterm!