Allie Virginski graduated in spring 2021 with degrees in Spanish and international relations. She is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison Law School and plans to pursue a career in international law. The following content is repurposed from a story on the College of Arts and Letters website.
The Spanish language is such a strong part of who I am. I absolutely love it. I used to take culture classes when I was younger, and I knew I wanted to continue with Spanish since it was such an integral part of my life.
Traveling to Spain was my second study abroad experience — the first was to the United Kingdom. While in Spain, I was immersed in the culture, taking classes at University de Menendez Pelayo and speaking with native speakers.
During the summer of 2020, I had the opportunity to experience a global remote internship as a legal intern working on consumer defense rights for the mid-sized law firm, Richardson and Asociados Abogados, located in Argentina.
I was able to bring what I knew about U.S. laws to them and, because the internship was done entirely in Spanish, I continued to practice and build proficiency in the language.
The internship was coordinated through the program Global Remote Internship. The program afforded me opportunities to connect with students from around the world. Chatting with students from other schools interning in countries like South Africa and China, I learned about the cultures and business practices they experienced.
Getting to connect with different people who have like-minded interests is so fulfilling as well as being able to collaborate on projects. Sometimes I thought of things that they didn’t, or they thought of things that I didn’t, so being able to bounce those ideas off each other was really helpful.
We’re so much more interconnected than we ever have been, and, because of that, language is so important to be able to communicate with others. It’s also a sign of respect.
These different experiences showed me what I’m interested in and what path I want to take in my career. I’ve learned a lot about myself — what I’m interested in, my work style and my personality in general. Learning about cultures other than my own has given me new perspectives that has allowed me to grow as a person.