Kalyssa Nelson
Name: Kalyssa Nelson
Hometown: Fargo, N.D.
Major/Minor: Spanish Education
Graduation Year: 2029
What are you involved in on campus?
I’m not super involved on campus, but I am part of the Spanish club, and I’ve really enjoyed the things that we have done so far.
What inspired you to pursue a career in education, and specifically in teaching Spanish?
I knew that I wanted to study Spanish before I decided to pursue education. In high school, my Spanish class was always my favorite class, and I picked up on it really well, making it one of the easier subjects for me to study. I decided to go into education because I think the best thing you can do with a language is teach it to other people, so that they too can learn both the language and the cultures of the people who speak it.
I chose to come to VCSU because I really liked the smaller campus and class sizes. I also think the area is beautiful and some of the older buildings on campus have a lot of character and beautiful design.
Can you share any professors, classes, or projects that have helped shape your perspective as a future teacher?
My Spanish grammar and composition class has been one of the best in shaping my perspective about teaching. The bigger writing assignments in the class have shown me how much language can improve, when you drift away from normal conversation and go into more niche or specific topics. I think that people inherently like to have their opinions heard, and by giving them an opportunity to express something that they are passionate about can really help them in their language development.
After graduation, the clear path would be to become a Spanish teacher most likely somewhere in North Dakota, but also, depending on the situation, I would love to go teach English abroad in a Latin American country. I think Latin American culture is so rich in so many ways and having that experience could make me a better Spanish teacher when I come back.
If you could give advice to incoming Spanish Education majors, what would it be?
To any incoming Spanish or Spanish Education majors, I would say try to get the most out of every experience. For example, speak Spanish with a native speaker even if it’s intimidating, or reread a story so that you can understand it better. I think the best thing you can do is not be ashamed to put in the effort to improve.