Kiara Batista graduated from UMass in May of 2022 in the Honors program with a double major in Legal Studies and Portuguese.

“Working as an EMT sparked an interest in being an advocate for the latino community. Being a part of the Spanish and Portuguese Studies program at UMass also allowed me to learn more about my own culture.”

Natercia Bicalho senior Biology and Spanish double major on the pre-med track. She is a native Portuguese speaker, and her studies amplify her ability to serve the latino community.

“Spanish has helped connect me with many different types of people. I have been exposed to many different cultures of the Spanish world and each one is as beautiful as the last.”

Nick Jones is a linguistics and Spanish double-major. Spanish has provided Nick with many professional opportunities within the community, and he plans to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford in the UK.

“Before college I already knew that I wanted to study Speech-Language pathology, and I was already noticing that I wanted to serve the bilingual community.”

Adriana Almeida is a senior from North Attleboro, MA. She is triple-majoring in Communication Disorders, Spanish, and Portuguese. As a Portuguese heritage speaker, Adriana is passionate about diversifying Speech-Language Pathology

“I initially chose Spanish for familial reasons. Along the way I decided that I wanted to pursue medicine at the same time, and that’s when Spanish took on a different meaning for me.”

Collin Bardwell is a class of 2020 alumnus from Hatfield, MA. He graduated with a B.Sc. in microbiology and a B.A. in Spanish. He works as an EMT in Springfield, MA, and plans to utilize his knowledge of Spanish in the medical field.
 

“I’m interested in going into publishing and writing. The classes I have taken in the Spanish Program have broadened my horizons and given me more perspectives in writing.”

Noelle McManus is a senior undergraduate from Long Island, NY. She is pursuing a dual degree in Linguistics and Spanish. Her studies complement her interests in publishing, writing, and literary translation.