SiS Newsletter - May 2011 - SIS S. A.: Nora Dougherty

Nora Dougherty

Ramapo College of New Jersey
I am Nora Dougherty, the SiS Student Ambassador at Ramapo College of New Jersey. I became a SiS Ambassador in order to help other students realize that they too can take advantage of all the incredible opportunities Spain has to offer. I have been passionate about Spanish language and culture since Middle School and my study of the two has shaped my perspective on the world and the direction of future.

There was a defining moment in High School when I knew learning Spanish was no longer simply a graduation requirement, but rather a defining aspect of my future. I was fortunate to have a teacher that exuded a passion for Spanish that I had never seen in any Spanish teacher. She did not just teach me how to conjugate and memorize vocabulary; she gave me a genuine love for the language and the culture. In her class, I learned to love not only traditional Flamenco, but also David Bisbal and Real Madrid. Because of her and her personal experiences living in Spain, I had my mind set as a freshman in High School that I would study in Spain when I reached college. Living and learning in Spain was by far the most transformative experience of my college career and as soon as I came back to New Jersey I knew that I wanted to help other students have that same experience. I am very much looking forward to the coming academic year when I will be the SiS Ambassador at Ramapo and I hope to encourage more students to study in Spain!