Alex at Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
Student Spotlight
"As a native Wacoan, I was determined to flee from my hometown as fast as possible after high school. However, after finding my first college choice brimming over with partying and not quite enough studying, I immediately found myself back in Waco and at Baylor. It took just a few Spanish classes with Dr. Larson and Dr. Johnson to reassure me that I had indeed found the perfect fit with Spanish.
"Knowing languages...allows one to truly know his/her own culture all the better."
"Not only did I enjoy delving into medieval Spanish literature and investigating the history of Latin America, but I found even the most minute grammar topics of interest. Since those first few semesters, I have dabbled in both German and Portuguese as well as studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, and Maastricht, the Netherlands. Knowing languages not only bridges the obvious language barriers that exist amongst peoples of different nations but allows one to truly know his/her own culture all the better. It was putting these languages to use whilst traveling to art museums throughout Spain and utilizing the Eurail pass to venture from Berlin to Munich that I realized how much languages have enriched my life.
"Then again, my language acquisition can be credited to two main factors – Baylor University's faithful and charismatic professors and an innate knack for languages. Learning languages adds depth to resumes, creates character, opens the door to new cultures, facilitates studying abroad, and leaves memories to last a lifetime. Thanks yet again to Baylor's Modern Foreign Language Department and Faculty, I move on to work on my master's degree in Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil. Baylor is where I became an adult and received the Christian foundation and fellowship that I needed to start my journey."
- Alex Nix, Baylor Class of 2007
