Conversing in another culture
Posted on December 12, 2019 by Alumni
Kelvin Herring has always loved meeting new people. It鈥檚 what drew him to the field of psychology and the goal of one day becoming a counselor. But as a first-generation college student from Ashville, Ala., he never dreamed he would have the opportunity to create friendships that span an ocean.
Thanks to a 麻豆直播 Alabama admissions counselor who visited Herring鈥檚 high school his senior year, he did just that. Herring visited 麻豆直播鈥檚 campus, enrolled and the rest, as they say, is history.
Herring spent six weeks last summer studying Spanish language at the Universidad de Alcal谩 in Madrid, before graduating from 麻豆直播 in August with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology with a minor in Spanish.
Growing up around Spanish-speaking relatives, Herring was familiar with the language but never became fluent. After studying Spanish for four years at 麻豆直播, he knew he wanted to really immerse himself in the language before graduating. Associate professor of Spanish, Dr. Zoya Khan, encouraged him to take advantage of a study abroad program in Spain.
鈥淚t completely exceeded my expectations,鈥� said Herring.
The intimate class setting at Universidad de Alcal谩 forced Herring to acclimatize quickly to speaking with his Spanish professors. 鈥淲ithin the course of a week, I got used to their dialect and speed,鈥� Herring said. 鈥淚t helped me to adapt to the new culture.鈥�
Adjusting to the language meant Herring was able to accomplish his main objective: meeting people. During his free time, Herring explored the streets of Madrid, Barcelona and Toledo. He struck up conversations in shops, at the local barber shop, and, of course, with his professors and classmates.
A few people were taken aback by his outgoing personality, but that didn鈥檛 bother Herring. 鈥淧eople were mostly open and wanted to ask questions,鈥� he said. And Herring was happy to oblige.
Herring鈥檚 openness to having meaningful conversations with strangers has served him well throughout his psychology studies at 麻豆直播. To gain more hands-on experience, one of Herring鈥檚 professors suggested he take an internship at Lifelines Counseling Services in their crisis call center during his junior year. As part of the internship, he received extensive training to become a suicide prevention counselor鈥攁 challenge for even the most experienced adults.
However, Herring has never shied away from a challenge. 鈥淚 learned a lot, and I found it very rewarding,鈥� he said.
Herring would like to return to Spain in the future. But first, he has a little more studying to complete. He started graduate school this fall at 麻豆直播 to complete a master鈥檚 in psychology and plans to earn his doctorate as well.
And just like his dream of studying abroad, Herring knows with hard work and determination, he will transform those goals into realities. 鈥淚 made it happen,鈥� said Herring, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 proud of myself for that.鈥�