Kaley Barbára believes that adding a Spanish minor at UF has impacted her life more than she would have ever thought possible. Learning about the language, art, and music of the Spanish-speaking world sparked a desire in Kaley to immerse herself in the culture. During her first two years of college, Kaley traveled to both Spain and Ecuador. She wanted to use her knowledge of the Spanish language in a real-world setting and explore new cultures. Kaley writes: “Knowing enough Spanish to converse with the local people allowed me to gain a much deeper understanding of their cultures than I would have as an English-speaking tourist.”
While traveling in Ecuador, Kaley witnessed severe poverty in many of the local communities, and she learned about the hardships many people face living in third-world Latin-American countries, which was a very difficult but eye-opening experience. But she was also able to climb the beautiful volcanos outside of Quito and to visit the Amazon rainforest.
Kaley Barbára“The significance of learning a second language has been incomparable for me and I hope to generate value in the world because of it.”
Kaley’s trip to Ecuador prompted her to explore career opportunities beyond those in U.S.-based corporations. She now hopes to work one day with the World Bank and to look for development opportunities in Latin-American countries. To complement her undergraduate studies in finance and Spanish, Kaley began working towards a combined Master’s degree in International Business in order to become more familiar with international capital markets. Next semester, in conjunction with her master’s program, she plans to return to South America with the purpose of learning more about business movements there.
Ultimately, Kaley believes, studying Spanish has made her more mindful of the world around her. As she puts it, “I have become more aware of the opportunities I have been blessed with. I have the ability to pursue a higher education and to live in a country with an innumerable number of job opportunities. The experiences I have had because of my Spanish courses made me realize I need to use my privilege to help others.”