When Nate Whitworth came to Wake Forest University, he initially planned to major in engineering. It was an ambitious goal—one that would require long hours filled with hard work and dedication. However, after Whitworth took a Spanish 280 class in his freshman year with Sol Miguel-Prendes, everything changed.
“When I came into Wake Forest, I really had no intention of having a Spanish major,” Whitworth said. “My first [Spanish] class was 280 with Dr. Miguel-Prendes, and from there I just fell in love with all of it. The skills I was gaining in the language, the literature that we were reading, that just made me want to take more classes.”
Whitworth continued to take more and more Spanish classes throughout his time, each of which grew his interest in the language.
“I loved the challenge and the process of learning a new language,” Whitworth said. “I found it personally gratifying, being able to learn a skill that would be useful for me and to apply the skill. I think that drew me into wanting to pursue the language.”
Following his decision to major in Spanish, Whitworth also began to pursue a career in healthcare. He said he believes studying the language will benefit his career down the road.
While the idea of studying abroad had been on his mind since he enrolled, Whitworth wasn’t exactly sure what or where he would study at first.
“One of the reasons that I chose to go to Wake [Forest] was because of their emphasis on study abroad,” he explained.
By his junior year, however, Whitworth decided to study abroad in Salamanca.
“Salamanca wasn’t initially on my radar because I wasn’t really intending to major in Spanish,” he said. “But then, as I started thinking about my major, I realized that studying abroad in Salamanca would really help me develop skills in the language.”
As he predicted, Whitworth’s time in Salamanca proved to be beneficial for his Spanish major. By fully immersing himself in the language for the better part of four months, he was able to speak with more confidence and clarity. Whitworth was even able to continue his pursuit of a career in healthcare by taking a medical Spanish class in Salamanca.
“I came into the program knowing the rules of Spanish and when to use them, but I wouldn’t say I was much of a confident speaker,” Whitworth said. “But since studying in that program, it’s been a complete 180. I feel comfortable communicating in the language in about any situation…
Through my personal experience in Salamanca and the skills I gained in the language, it was an amazing experience.”
Ever since Whitworth decided to switch majors early in his Wake Forest career, he has accomplished a great deal of success in the Spanish language. Along with being an excellent student, Whitworth hopes to help others with his newfound knowledge of the foreign language.
Considering his interesting path towards becoming a Spanish major, Whitworth knows better than most how challenging a change in plans may be. To help others in the same boat understand the process, Whitworth left some words of advice to anybody interested in pursuing a Spanish major.
“In your first semester or two, don’t put pressure on yourself to have your career plan or major figured out,” Whitworth said. “I think there’s a lot to be said for going into this process with an open mind. Just keep your mind open to any variety of major, or even a minor, because a class that you might have taken in the first semester might be the subject that you want to pursue for your major.”
