I've been thinking a lot about my decision to major in PLSC these last months and I have realized a lot of that was based off survivors guilt of some form. Seeing myself come out of South LA made me want to find a tangible way to really "make a difference" back home. 1/7

But I have had to realize that shouldn't have to be my responsibility. I have come to see that my Spanish major is what I love. Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna finish PLSC bc I'm in too deep, but everyday I see myself sticking to Spanish post grad. 2/7

I sincerely love Spanish and want to really help Latine kids appreciate their cultures and literature. Despite my pride now, I def grappled with my language and culture growing up, and hated it some point. But in college I came to terms with it and realized... 3/7

The culture in the U.S. has routinely made Latine kids feel like shit for being Latine, all the while white privileged kids are applauded for learning about those same things. I've seen Spanish academia and it is overwhelmingly white. 4/7

That being said, having my Spanish advisor who is Puerto Rican, was so important in me finding such a rich history and love for Latin American literature. His passion was contagious and that's what I want to help other kids find. 5/7

All this is to say, that I have come to see how hard it is for young Latines to stay connected to their cultures and actually love them. It is routinely shunned out of us in the U.S. which is why Latine ppl should never feel bad about their Spanish level or... 6/7

be belittled by more fluent speakers. I genuinely only see myself as a Spanish Professor rn that is going to prioritize these principles in my teaching. Idk what I'm doing after graduation, but a PhD in Spanish seems bound to happen at some point.

Sorry for the rant.
7/7

One last thing. @__oser not giving a single shit what ppl thought abt his choice to do art at Yale definitely helped me come to a lot of these conclusions. He already knows I love and appreciate him but just wanted to say that.

SUPPORT THE FUCKING ARTS PPL!!!