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They say that once you are able to think in another language, that language becomes second nature.
Carl Watson not only wants to think in Spanish, he might like to live there.
“When I was in 10th grade, I was involved in a cultural studies exchange program that took me to Spain,” he said. “To see the way different people live, the diversity in itself is interesting to me.”
During his college career, Spanish classes have been smooth sailing from the get go. With a little advice from his adviser, Carl’s even pursuing a certificate in Spanish, which might just grow into a full-blown Spanish minor.
“One thing I’ve always wanted to do was become bilingual. A few more classes, and I think I’ll get there,” he said. “Next year I’m taking Spanish Conversation and I’m going to leave a few more spaces in my schedule over the next couple of years to take the classes I need for the certificate, which will look great on a resume.”
After experiencing the “culture shock” of visiting Los Angeles over spring break, Carl already has his courses lined up for the Fall 2004 semester. A little physics here, a little Introduction to English Literature there, add in helping of Origins of Cultural Diversity and the aforementioned Spanish class for flavor. Mix well.
Of course he has to get through this semester before that new classroom stew begins to boil. Carl, however, took the smart approach to scheduling classes this semester.
“I went for a tactful schedule. My week ends on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and begins on Monday at 4:40 p.m.,” he said with a smile. “That does mean I have to take some classes in the evening, but it seems to be working out.”
That extra amount of time can’t hurt either, particularly with coursework piling up as he enters the home stretch of the Spring semester. American Ethnicity, for example could easily be called reading intensive, but “you take away with you a lot of lessons that are applicable to all aspects of life.”
Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon taught Carl “the importance of your name.” One of the characters, he explained, has been named Pilate by her father.
“It was family tradition to open up the Bible and pick a name randomly. Her father was illiterate and chose Pilate, not knowing the connotations,” he said. “But that character found significance in the name beyond that. She cherished the name because it was given to her by her father.”
Over in Intellectual Heritage, be prepared to flex your mental muscles.
“It’s a whole different mindset. There’s a lot of Plato, Descartes, and Socrates on through John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and discussions of the Bill of Rights,” Carl said. “These are the foundations of our laws and ideas — issues in the news today come up all the time in this class and they are related back to these great thinkers. It’s a good class in terms of concept because it really gets you thinking, but it is by no means an easy class.”
Looking back, Carl said, his first semester as the Ambler campus was a challenge, “but I did pretty well.”
“Now I have the harder task of trying to keep up with what I did,” he said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep up that standard — I want to keep the 3.8 and stay on top of my work. There is a lot of reading, but that’s the price you pay when you’re an English major.”
Having a stellar work ethic doesn’t mean that Carl stays in his dorm room all the time with a sign on the door saying “Do Not Disturb — Student at Work.” This semester he has expanded his social interaction and become an active member of the Brothers and Sisters United (BSU) student organization.
During Black History Month in February, he took part in a special Kwanzaa celebration, reading one of the Seven Principals and lighting the candle signifying “Umoja,” or unity. In recent weeks, he also co-hosted a poetry night sponsored by BSU, The Parable student literary magazine, and WRFT, the student radio station.
“I was nervous at first, but a friend of mine in Los Angles gave me some pointers beforehand — it’s not a comedy show so you don’t want to ruin the mood. A friend gave me a poem to read and I even put my artistic talents together and made up a poem right there on the spot,” he said. “It was a great time. I was able to be myself and just enjoy it.”
Living at Ambler, Carl said, has allowed him to take himself outside of his personal box.
“Main Campus, of course, is more crowded and busier in general, which is something I’m used to, but Ambler, for me, was a big adjustment. My American Ethnicity course is something I’m particularly fond of here because it is so diverse but is, at the same time, intimate,” he said. “In a class in which race is discussed, you couldn’t have planned it any better — African-American, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Irish, Indian all in one class. Coming from an all-black high school it’s certainly an eye opener for me and a great opportunity.”
Personal and social development, Carl said, has gone hand-in-hand with academic development at the Ambler campus.
“It all comes back to the connectedness of Ambler. It’s a close-knit community that fosters personal growth,” he said. “There are a lot of people looking out for you.”
This is the third part of an “A Year in the Life” feature on Carl Watson. Carl, a native of Brooklyn, New York, was a freshman majoring in English at the time of the series.
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