Alumni Story: Negarra Kudumu '01

Negarra Kudumu '01 writes, "Since April of 2009 I have been living and working in the Netherlands at a research institute called HIIL (Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law). In a very basic way my LALACS major, coupled with studying Spanish and Portuguese, has equipped me with a broader tool kit for relating to and understanding the world. Because of LALACS's interdisciplinary nature, I often find myself drawing upon that knowledge base to see how well--or not--it applies to other historical and cultural concepts. 

"Professionally it has been the language skills I acquired in connection with my LALACS major that have served me best. I have had the opportunity in two professional roles to regularly use Spanish and Portuguese. Additionally, due to the strength of my Portuguese, even though its been eleven years since I first learned the language, I have been able with relative ease to learn French. It was via LALACS that my love for the languages of the region blossomed and this passion is what helped me to succeed in the study of these tongues which I still use to this very day."