Coursework Samples

For this assignment, I completed a Spanish literary review focused on the social determinants of health that influence dissociative identity disorder within the Latino population in the United States. I researched academic sources related to trauma, dissociation, mental health care, cultural barriers, language access, stigma, and structural inequality. From there, I organized the project around the Socio-Ecological Model, which allowed me to look at the issue from multiple levels, including the individual, family, community, institutional, and structural levels. This helped me show that dissociative identity disorder should not only be understood as an individual clinical issue, but also as something shaped by broader social and cultural conditions. Through this project, I strengthened my ability to read and synthesize scholarly research in Spanish, connect public health concepts to a specific population, and present a complex mental health topic in a clear and organized way.

I worked with my group to create a Spanish phonetics presentation about the Spanish spoken in Mexico and Central America. The assignment focused on identifying regional pronunciation patterns and explaining how they differ from other varieties of Spanish, especially Spanish spoken in Spain. To complete the project, we researched where Spanish is spoken throughout Central America and then focused on specific phonetic features, such as the conservation or loss of the implosive /s/, the pronunciation of voiced stops like /b/, /d/, and /g/, the asibilated /r/, the softer pronunciation of /x/, and the loss of unstressed vowels in fast speech. We also included examples from real speakers and videos so the audience could hear the differences rather than only read about them. This project helped me better understand that Spanish pronunciation is not the same everywhere and that regional variation is an important part of language, culture, and communication

For this group project, I worked with one other person to create a campaign presentation for Aztec Finanzas, a digital platform focused on financial education and personal planning for young people in Mexico. The assignment centered on developing a clear campaign identity, audience, message, and promotional strategy. Together, we established the brand’s purpose: helping young adults learn how to invest, improve their financial literacy, and view investing as something accessible rather than something only meant for wealthy people. From there, we identified the target audience as young people who feel financial stress and believe their future goals may be out of reach.

For this project in my business writing class, I continued analyzing the business I chose at the beginning of the semester, Village Bakery and Cafe, and used a professional memo format to present recommendations. The assignment focused on creating a strategic risk assessment, or “premortem,” where I had to think ahead and identify problems that could hurt the business in the future. To complete it, I analyzed the company’s operations and focused on three main risks: inconsistent operating hours, an overly large and changing menu, and the challenge of running both a bakery and cafe under one brand. From there, I developed practical recommendations, such as standardizing hours, using sales and inventory tracking to simplify the menu, and better connecting the bakery and cafe sides of the business through clearer branding and operations. This project helped me practice writing in a professional business style while using research, analysis, and specific recommendations to communicate how a business could improve

For this project, I completed a Spanish literature analysis centered on Raquel Lanseros’ poem “La Serpiente.” The assignment asked me to interpret the poem’s themes, literary devices, and symbolic meaning while also connecting it to other cultural or literary works. I focused on how Lanseros uses the image of the serpent to represent time, temptation, transformation, and the loss of innocence. To develop the project, I researched Lanseros’ background, analyzed the poem’s metaphors and imagery, and then connected its themes to Eric Church’s song “La Serpiente” and Federico García Lorca’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba. This allowed me to compare how poetry, music, and theater can all explore similar ideas of control, restriction, mortality, and human struggle. Through this assignment, I strengthened my ability to analyze Spanish literature, make cross-textual comparisons, and explain complex symbolic ideas in Spanish.

For this presentation, I researched the culture and civilization of Andalucía, a region in southern Spain. The assignment focused on presenting important cultural, historical, geographic, and social aspects of the region in Spanish. To complete it, I looked into Andalucía’s location, major cities, government, flag, climate, food, and important landmarks. I also researched the region’s Moorish, Christian, and Mediterranean influences, which helped explain why Andalucía has such a unique cultural identity. In the presentation, I highlighted places such as the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, Sevilla, and Ronda, while also discussing local foods like gazpacho, salmorejo, pescaíto frito, and jamón ibérico. This project helped me better understand how geography, history, architecture, food, and government all shape a region’s identity, while also improving my ability to organize cultural information and present it clearly in Spanish.