Author: SCHARINA BENCOSME

In my most honest approach to this topic, I believe I should begin with the fact that it took me years to choose a major; not because I did not know what I felt most passionate about, but because of shame and self-doubt.

There are more Spanish native speakers in the U.S. than there are in Spain, and yet less than one percent of American adults feel they’re proficient at a foreign language they learned in the classroom. According to The Atlantic, monolinguals are the minority in Europe, with 19 percent bilinguals, 25 percent trilingual, and 10 percent speak four or more languages. In America, only 15-20 percent consider themselves bilinguals.

I should start with the elephant in the room and admit that it is quite cliche and obvious that I, an English major, would of course have a passionate adoration for reading. However, such was not that way always; I was not born appreciating Shakespearean tragedies and with the extensive bookshelf I have now. In fact, like most (if not all) the young adults I know now, I used to despise books and the idea of reading anything longer than nutrition facts was a dreaded punishment.

We’ve all learned that boycotting is a peaceful alternative to violent protesting, meant to have the same memorable, change-inducing impact violence has, but without the violence. Peaceful protests are what individuals have been practicing in order to compromise civil issues without the unnecessary brutality. It has been used in circumstances that most of us have been taught during class, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott which further propelled the movement against segregation, or the refusal to purchase British goods during the American Revolution.