Our student ambassadors serve as a resource for underclassmen and prospective students who are considering a major/minor in Spanish.  Please reach out to any of them by email if you would like to chat about the Spanish Department.

Chelsea Torres  (ctorres@fandm.edu) 

Class of 2021 

I chose Spanish as a major, initially, because I wanted to even out my Spanish proficiency with my English abilities despite Spanish actually being my first language. However, as I took classes in my major, I began to really value language not only as a way to communicate with others but also as a means to access Latin American cultures and make connections within them. One of my favorite classes I have taken at F&M is Spanish in the U.S., a course about sociolinguistics and different Spanish dialects in the United States. That class taught me the individuality that each dialect, even within the same language, allows individuals to express. I also learned that Dominican Spanish, the Spanish I grew immersed in, was often seen as unprestigious, causing Dominicans to exchange their dialects for others. This made me realize that I too had felt the need to "fix" my Spanish and had attempted to trade in the language of my quisqueya. Now, I embrace both: Cibaeño, the language of home and family, and "proper" Spanish, the form expected by professors and non-Dominicans. 

In the future, I would like to work in the Public Health field, focusing my attention on the health of underrepresented Latin American people. I would also enjoy teaching Spanish courses about cultural topics that interest me, such as telenovelas and their representations of the values of Latin America. Additionally, I am planning to study abroad this summer with F&M in Argentina! 

Vicente Brambila (vbrambil@fandm.edu)

Class of 2020

Government-Dance Joint Major and Minor in Spanish. 

I chose Spanish as my minor at Franklin and Marshall College because I enjoy reading and analyzing Hispanic literature. My favorite Spanish course was, "Spanish in the United States" because it opened perspectives that were hidden by the "standard" way of speaking Spanish. With that in mind, after finishing my Spanish minor at F&M and studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, I have learned that there is no "correct" way of speaking the language--rather that there are multiple cultural identities that make up the language. In all, my Gov-Dance joint major, interconnects through the liberal arts pedagogy by embracing my Mexican identity through political dance statements."

Marissa Witmer (mwitmer@fandm.edu)

Class of 2021 

Spanish and Neuroscience double major on the pre-med track. In addition to being a student ambassador for the Spanish department, Marissa also plays on the Women’s Tennis Team, is a member of the Sophomore Class Board, works as a Q&SC Tutor, and is on the Board of Directors for F&M’s EMS Squad. 

Marissa chose to study abroad in Santiago, Chile in the Fall 2019 semester to take classes towards the Spanish Major and take part in a Health Studies Seminar program. Marissa Plans to use her Spanish Major to learn about various Hispanic cultures and customs and to work towards becoming fluent in Spanish so that she can travel to Spanish-speaking countries and eventually work as a physician.