Every year, each department nominates a junior or senior to apply for the TTU College of Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in the Liberal Arts. This year I was nominated by both of the departments through which I am earning degrees - B.A. in Foreign Languages - Spanish, and B.A. in History. The application for the award consists of one or two samples of work, a one-page personal essay, and a personal letter of recommendation from a faculty member. I submitted a very long research paper I wrote last semester (something like 35 pages, with 3 pages of sources, and 6 pages of appendices...yes, there is a reason I didn't include that part of the application in this post...!), and Dr. Rita Barnes, the Director of the TTU Honors Program, one of the most influential mentors I've ever had, and a personal friend submitted what I'm sure is a glowing (and only partially-deserved) recommendation, and this post includes my personal essay.
Writing it was a surprising challenge.
Summing up what I see as my greatest achievements as an undergraduate in one page is what a resume is for, right? But no. My resume may or may not be outstanding (it's alright), but an essay is personal. Not WHAT I've done, bu how I see what I've done - why I did it, and how it looks from the other side. I love writing, and normally it comes naturally, but this essay took 3 tries and at least 4 times that many hours. Despite the sleep-deprivation and nervous anticipation surrounding this essay and the award, I am proud of it. I said everything I wanted to say in just one page. But more importantly, I am proud of what it says, what I've accomplished so far. College has been good.
Uncharted but Perfect - Bethany Pinzur
Chemistry was always my best subject and medicine
always interested me. So as society and academia assured me that pursuing science
and medicine would be the most effective way of achieving my ultimate goal of helping
people, nursing seemed the obvious choice. After less than two semesters,
however, I changed my major course of study to dual degrees in History and
Spanish. No matter how much sense it made to study nursing, my passion lay in
studying foreign languages and cultures, past and present. Accordingly, as a
Sophomore I embarked on the challenging, but rewarding journey of designing a
college experience that incorporated these passions to reach my ultimate goal.
The
most broadly foundational step of my journey was my first undergraduate
research project. Bringing together my interests in history and language, with
the added focus on Jewish studies, I chose the topic of Judeo-Spanish, the
traditional but nearly extinct language of the Sephardic Jews. I focused on its
integral influence on their self-identity and how it affected their
assimilation into new lands since their collective expulsion from the Iberian
Peninsula in the 1490s. Such a focused topic in which little research has been
done forced me to look outside of my University to create an elite and
international team of research mentors. These contacts coupled with the
critical analysis and language skills I acquired through my major studies
provided a broad knowledge base and essential tools that allowed me to ask astute
questions and draw well-informed conclusions. These research projects laid a
broad but solid foundation for the next steps toward my goal in several key
areas. The questions of language and identity that my research addresses are
particularly pertinent in this era of globalization as nearly a third of the
languages spoken currently will likely be extinct by the year 2050. As the
world changes through cultural and linguistic contact, retention of cultural
identity becomes increasingly complex and difficult, while intercultural communication
and understanding become increasingly integral.
Building on my research, but expanding it
to a more “real-life” situation, I took the next step by participating in several
study abroad trips. Whether for a week or a semester, with a group or on my
own, or in the northern, southern, eastern, or western hemisphere, these
experiences contributed irreplaceably to both my academic work and my personal
development. Participating in an internship entirely focused on improving the
English communication skills of Korean college students, exploring
historically-rich Berlin while practicing speaking German, and volunteering
with Peruvian orphans as a teachers’ assistant have all contributed to my
experiential knowledge of the challenges of intercultural communication as well
as the importance of historical and cultural context. These experiences not
only confirmed the legitimacy of my research, but inspired me to find ways in
which I could use my knowledge and experience to personally impact the lives of
those around me.
To that end I sought mentoring, tutoring,
teaching, and training opportunities. Sharing my knowledge of critical
thinking, research, open-mindedness, and self-identity with the freshmen I have
been privileged to mentor equips them to build on what has already been accomplished,
and become the next generation of leaders. Helping international students increase
their fluency in English and American students improve their Spanish skills
often opens new doors for them to experience and understand new cultures, enabling
improved intercultural communication. Additionally, as each of the students
with whom I have come into contact share their experiences and perspectives
with me, they provide me with infinite opportunities to learn and grow. Throughout
my time in college, these service and leadership roles have given me not only exciting
experiences and humbling but strengthening life lessons, they have also allowed
me to reach my ultimate goal of helping others.
As a confused freshman, I knew that changing
my major would change my course completely. As a confident senior, however, I
understand that although the course changed, I achieved the same goal. Could I
have succeeded as a nursing student? Yes. But instead I followed my deepest
passion down an uncharted path that led through strenuous historical research,
the mountains of Asia and South America, and has ultimately brought me to exactly
where I want to be: contributing vitally to the lives of the precious
individuals around me.
