Who Am I?

My professional headshot as of Fall 2022.

I am Zachary May, a 4th year student at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire (UWEC). I am dual majoring in Spanish liberal arts & Latin American Studies (LAS) with a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

Educational Experience

Ever since high school, I have had a very strong interest in Spanish language and culture. Throughout high school, my Spanish teachers stressed the importance of understanding different cultures and life experiences different from my own.

During my time at UWEC, my academic interests have remained in that area. I originally started as a Spanish Education major, but a classroom speaker presented to my Spanish class about what the LAS program was all about. The speaker mentioned that adding LAS would only add 16 credits to my degree plan, about an extra class each semester. I thought it was great way to connect to different disciplines. A week later, I added an LAS major to my degree, and from there my interest flourished. Throughout these courses, I realized that one of my academic interests centered around Latin America, and another interest was in Spanish language.

Career Goals

In my Spanish courses, it became increasing clear that I needed to study abroad. Here at UWEC, it is required that all Spanish and/or Latin American Studies students do at least six weeks abroad in order to experience a different culture and to improve language skills. So in the spring of 2022, I went and studied abroad in Valparaíso, Chile, for 3 months. There, I studied the Spanish language, Chilean culture, and Latin American literature. While I enjoyed my classes, I became more interested in how does studying abroad change and influence a student’s perspective on life. My career focus shifted, I realized that being an educator may not the right fit for me, but working with students going abroad and helping them create their own study abroad journey was something that I could see myself doing. That being said, I applied to work at the Center for International Education back at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, and they hired me.

Since then, I’ve been working as an intern in the UWEC Center for International Education, where I advise potential study abroad students. These students set up appointments with me or another intern in which we listen and advise them which study abroad programs may be the best fit for them. In my opinion, the most important outcome is that students are going abroad and breaking out of their comfort zone. Because of my work in the Center for International Education, I have found that a career interest of mine is to work in a study abroad office similar to the one I work in now which enables me to encourage more students to have that life changing study abroad experience.

My Resident Assistant Experience

I have worked as an Resident Assistant (RA) since the fall of 2020. Although I was a student, I was also working with and supporting other students. So, I was able to see a different side of the University. I wasn’t seeing the typical student-professor dynamic, I was seeing the student-advisor dynamic. The difference between these two dynamics is that one takes a more central role in the education of a student, and the other takes a more indirect role. The RA role being the latter. During my time as an RA, I learned that I enjoyed being in a student’s support system than I do being directly involved in their education as much as professors are. For me, I felt that I was doing a greater service to my residents by distributing information, providing appropriate support when needed, and making those meaningful connections between ourselves. Additionally, the connections I made between my colleagues is something that pushes me towards working in a higher education capacity.

Published October 27th, 2022.