Greetings from New Brunswick, New Jersey! I have recently begun my graduate studies (MA/PhD) at Rutgers University in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. While at Union I had the (dis)advantage of being an interdepartmental major, working with the Departments of Modern Languages and Political Science. Although it may seem that I have left the Social Sciences to pursue a career in the Humanities, I have never before found my experience and the knowledge that I gained through an interdisciplinary program at Union to be more useful.

While at Union I received excellent preparation for graduate school that was associated with a variety of experiences. I spent a term in Cuernavaca, Morelas, Mexico in 1995, and became more proficient in Spanish and was exposed to the literature and culture that I am now so involved in. I received a grant from the Internal Education Fund (IEF) to attend academic conferences in Montreal, Canada and Pueblo, Mexico in order to research my senior thesis topic in 1996. The presentations and discussions offered by experts in the field were integral to the completion of my project and gave me a glimpse of that which awaited me here at Rutgers. The Union College Summer Research Fellowship that I completed gave me invaluable experience in writing research papers.

I cannot, of course, forget to mention my senior thesis experience. I chose to combine my love of theater and my intellectual interests in political science, women's studies, and Spanish literature. Almost a year after my IEF grant expeditions, I submitted and defended the thesis entitled "Argentina's Dirty War: Theater, Politics and Women's Space." Although any student currently immersed in the experience will testify to the difficulty of writing the thesis, having reached the other side I have a different perspective. I realize that it has given me an incredible advantage as I am now able to capitalize on the skills that I gained while researching, writing, and revising my thesis. Presenting my work during the Steinmetz Symposium and at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research gave me additional experience with professional conferences. The thesis has also become a point of departure for me in terms of my research. For those of you who knew me during this period of my life, you will not believe what I am about to say but... I am grateful for having written my thesis.

The most important parts of my Union experience, however, were the individualized intellectual challenge, professional relationships, and sincere evaluations that I received while an undergraduate. Entering graduate school with the knowledge that my former professors support me and believe that I can meet this challenge (most concretely in receiving the Catlin Prize) has helped me get through some of the most difficult parts of my new life.