Jose E. Martinez-Romo, ’08, Mexico.
Read interview below in Spanish. Opens as Word document.
Jose is from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and will graduate in 2008 with a Spanish Education major. With the exception that he and his twin sister, Maria, went to university outside of Mexcio, he feels they are a traditional Mexican family. After graduation he hopes to find a position teaching Spanish at the high school level.
How did you learn about St. Olaf and why did you choose to study here?
My U.S. History teacher from the American School of Puerto Vallarta told me about St. Olaf. I ended up coming here because it was the school that gave me the most financial aid.
What are (or were) you involved in at St. Olaf?
I'm a student athlete, and have played soccer for the St. Olaf varsity team for 3 years. I’m also involved in a Christian worship band called SELAH.
Note: Jose participated in Lilly Grant International Service Learning Program to Thailand in June 2006.
What was your most funny (or embarrassing) cross-cultural moment at St. Olaf?
This is a funny story. During my first year at St. Olaf, my good friend Kevin Salkas would tell stories all the time. At the end of every story he would end with "and then I found 20 dollars". Some days later, another friend told a story and at the end randomly said the same thing. I quickly told them "Wow, Kevin also finds $20 all the time." Then they all proceeded to laugh at the fact that I didn’t know that it was a way of compensating for a bad story.
How did you choose your major(s)? What experiences did you have that has been most helpful to you?
I chose Spanish education after being a biology major for two years. How I came about this decision was by consistently seeing that I wasn’t enjoying my self in a laboratory. I also started volunteering at the elementary school and discovered that I really enjoyed working with students. That’s when I decided to change my major.
