User:Silverbone/Archive

Spanish
I began receiving personal tutoring in Spanish while I was in fifth grade. This was my first exposure to really learning a foreign language. I found it intriguing but was unable to pursue this new interest until I was in ninth grade. I always peeked at my friends' Spanish stuff in eighth grade as well, as some of it started to come back.

Once I made it to ninth grade, I began my more formal and less specialized Spanish education. It came easy and I cruised through all three years of high school Spanish. Prior to attending Michigan Tech, I took a placement exam and placed in the highest group, skipping two years of college Spanish. I have taken one additional semester here, which was the most involved Spanish education I've had to date.

I was introduced to José María Arguedas through Los Ríos Profundos (Deep Rivers) and Formación de una cultura nacional indoamericana (Formation of a National Indoamerican Culture). These books challenged my Spanish knowledge and greatly improved it.

German
I didn't begin learning German until 2003. I was fortunate enough to be involved in a short term cultural exchange with a school in Trappenkamp, Germany, so I decided to start learning the language. Whatever I could muster would be better than nothing I thought. German wasn't offered at my high school, so I was on my own. After meeting my exchange partner and being able to have my choppy German corrected, I was well on my way. I wasn't able to speak much my first trip there, but I got a good feel for it and was more confident about my abilities. After a high Spanish placement and my arrival at Michigan Tech, I decided to take the German placement test to skip a semester or two. However, I placed, once again, in the highest group, skipping two years of college German. My score was actually higher in the language I had never had a class in.

During my classes I have been exposed to some famous German literature. Most in depth were our studies of Goethe's Faust and Klaus Mann's Mephisto. We also looked at various short writings of Thomas Mann. I have completed a minor in German after two semesters of actual classes at Michigan Tech and will hopefully complete an International Minor before I graduate. After another trip to Germany, I am much more confident in German than Spanish.

Others
While Spanish and German are my main two second languages, I enjoy dabbling in just about any language. Swedish, French, Italian, Corsican, Russian and Ancient Greek are some of those other languages that have sparked my interest. While I know hardly anything in these languages, I still get that twinkle in my eye at the chance to peruse them.

Education
I finished high school with a GPA of 3.938.

I am currently enrolled as an undergraduate student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Michigan Tech for a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Photonics. I will be receiving two minors in International German and Spanish and am a founding member of the Michigan Tech Honors Institute.