Hispanic Studies Student Focus, March 2022: Ms. Dahlia Watson (’22)

Hispanic Studies Student Focus, March 2022: Ms. Dahlia Watson (’22)

Hispanic Studies is once again proud and privileged to be able to feature one of its impressive Spanish students—this time, Ms. Dahlia Watson (’22).

Ms. Watson, a minor in Spanish and Linguistics, as well as a major in English, has had her share of academic successes while at the College of Charleston, earning top marks in all of her areas of concentration—something which speaks to the high level of curiosity and dedication characteristic of her scholarly endeavors.

Besides her considerable contributions to Hispanic Studies as one of its top students, Dahlia has shared her intellectual gifts with others as a tutor of English, History, Psychology and Spanish. In addition, she represents the College’s English Department as one of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Student Ambassadors.

In her own words:

“Ever since I was a young child, I have loved the feeling of conquering difficult challenges. Once I started taking Spanish classes in middle school, something lit up inside me. The excitement and satisfaction I felt when achieving rudimentary conversational skills was unmatched. The introduction of new historical and cultural information completely fascinated me and highly influenced my adventurous mindset. Nearly ten years later, I can still remember the significant impact of my middle school Spanish teacher. Her smooth fluent speech, elaborate travel stories, and the passion expressed during her lessons encouraged me to open myself up to new experiences. The way in which she was able to connect with Hispanic students who were often excluded and ignored by other teachers revealed the significance of learning a second language outside of self-improvement and exploration. I could never have imagined the vast opportunities that have opened up to me resulting from my studies of the Spanish language. I would not be the person I am today without the new people, concepts and history I’ve encountered on behalf of learning Spanish. After graduation this May, I plan to move to a Spanish-speaking country to continue building my knowledge in hopes of making the world my lifelong classroom.”