This week’s campus celebrity spends most of her days down one hallway in McMullen. In an average day she moves from Spanish class to French class then to German, and ends her days in the Student Success Center tutoring other students in two of those three languages. Some wonder if she even dreams in English.
Senior Morgan Schmitz agrees that some days she confuses the languages and her dreams can be equally as confusing. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native is majoring in Spanish and French while minoring in German Studies. After graduation in May, Schmitz isn’t sure where she will end up. It could be at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working toward a MAALT (a master’s in translation), but she is also open to other options.
The Spanish club president says her dream job is to be some form of translator.
““I would like to be a translator or interpreter for a company that will pay me to travel the world,” Schmitz said.
Her love for traveling started as a promise she made to herself as a freshman in the dorms of Cosgrove that she would study abroad because she loves languages so much and college was the time to do it. This promise became a reality in January 2014 as Schmitz boarded a plane for Alicante, Spain. She spent part of the semester with a host family before moving to Annecy, France until May. Trying to find one or two favorite memories from her months abroad was difficult because she enjoyed so much of it, but Schmitz does remember the different food that her host family made her try. All of this leads her to the one piece of advice she gives to underclassmen.
“Everyone should push themselves out of their comfort zones because it will forever change you and be well worth it,” Schmitz said.
When Schmitz is not studying languages, she can be found at her job in the ACCEL building, shaking it at zumba, watching movies, reading, hiking or hanging out with her roommates in their Hagen apartment.
Her favorite quote to live by is “If you live the life you’re given you won’t be afraid to die” by the Avett Brothers.
Three things people don’t know about this language fanatic? She loves eating really spicey food, and doesn’t even shed a tear.She loves coffee, and by coffee we mean close to 10 cups a day. She climbed a mountain in the French Alps.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many cups of coffee she has downed or if she gets her languages mixed up because this Bee doesn’t let anything get her down and is someone that everyone should meet (in whichever country/language you prefer)!