By Montana Heise
Reflection
What stands out to me most is how much I enjoyed and learned throughout this process. Prior to writing for CANAL I hadn’t really written anything to be published. I mostly wrote academically and really enjoyed it so I knew I wanted to try this out – to challenge myself a little bit. I learned a lot about the writing process and how it starts way before the pen hits the page. I learned that I really enjoy editing and that it is a crucial part of the writing process. I think writing in another language is a skill I wasn’t necessarily confident in before coming to UMass Lowell, but after all my classes in Spanish and Italian, I knew I had the skills I needed. Working on my writing for CANAL really helped me hone this skill and gain confidence in my abilities. I also think it influenced what I did next, where I went to grad school and what I wanted to study.
I think publishing my work in CANAL inspired me to write and read more in Spanish and Italian. It made me want to continue learning and influenced my decision to do my practicum in grad school in Costa Rica. I think that it also influenced my decision to come back to UML and help other students have similar experiences to mine. It definitely made me want to continue to try to do more writing in both Spanish and Italian and potentially get published in other journals.
I would say being able to have my piece listed on my resume definitely helped me when I was pursuing grad school and again when I was applying for my practicum. I think it helped push me into those opportunities and prepared me to be successful in them. I’m grateful to have had this experience in college because it inspired me to find other ways to pursue my writing. I do wish there was a way for me to better connect this experience with continuing to write and research for other publications today.
I think CANAL is incredible and it was an amazing experience to be able to do while learning about literature or writing in my Spanish and Italian courses. The process was very insightful and I’m glad my professors pushed me and helped me write my piece. Writing for this publication is something I’m still proud of and it continues to inspire me to continue my writing.
Biographical Statement - Montana Heise
After graduating from my Spanish & Italian program here at UMass Lowell (UML), I went to Washington D.C. to attend American University. There, I earned my master’s degree in Intercultural and International Communication. I completed my practicum doing research in a small village in Costa Rica called Longo Mai. I learned from the local people in this communal village about how they fight to defend their rights to clean water. We helped them advocate and connect with other coalitions around the world fighting for water rights. After I completed that degree, I moved back to Massachusetts and began working in the Study Abroad Office here, at UML. I help students study abroad and have similar experiences to what I was able to have because of this program.