Student Profile: William Towery

 Humanities at WCU      January 30, 2020

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I am originally from Kings Mountain, North Carolina, though I have recently moved to the Cullowhee area.

What are some other places you have traveled?

I have been to a number of states including Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C, and Oklahoma. I will be traveling to Puerto Rico for spring break this year and I am super excited.

You are majoring in Spanish, Criminal Justice, and International Studies. Why did you choose these, particularly in this combination?

I chose these three because these are my three areas of interest. The three of these majors go hand in hand with my career choices for the future and leave me many options for employment. I have a strong passion for each area of study and they all seem to go together in an interesting and fun way.

What have you learned (read, heard, found out by any medium) that really spurred you to think?

Something that I have learned over my time in the Spanish program is that art is often times much more than it appears to be, specifically in film. At face value, most movies are just stories with cool and interesting characters. With a little bit of research, you'll often find that certain characters or situations are analogies to real world people and situations. I really enjoyed learning this and it often leads me to learning about something that I did not previously know.

What defines you?

I define myself based on experiences that I've had as well as the relationships that I have made along the way. I choose to define myself in this way because it usually leads to a happier life. When you define yourself based on your accomplishments, you will almost always fall short. When you define yourself based on the experiences that you have in life and the way that you treat others, you'll find that you end up a little happier at the end of the day. You will always have the ability to be nicer to someone or to try something new. You won't always have the ability to be the best.

Tell us about your motivation to study Spanish.

My best friend growing up in elementary school was Mexican. I remember him inviting me over to stay the night with him one night and when I arrived, I realized I couldn't speak with his parents because they did not know English. This upset me a lot as a young child and since that time, I made it a point to learn Spanish so that I could speak with his parents without having him translate. I started learning short phrases here and there, and my desire to learn Spanish only grew from that point on.

How do you foresee using Spanish in the future?

Spanish is going to be a very important part of my future. I anticipate that I will be using it within a job setting. In addition to this, I want to ensure that both English and Spanish are spoken in my house if and when I have children.