Victoria Meshell came to UL Lafayette with one idea of success in mind. The University helped her to realize that success looks different from what she expected.
“I came into UL Lafayette as an electrical engineering major, solely because of the yearly salary listed on websites for jobs,” she said.
“When I think of success in my career I used to think of financial success, and I thought going into engineering would make me successful,” she said.
“I’ve learned at UL Lafayette that success isn’t expressed by an annual monetary number, but rather how much one enjoys what they do.”
Victoria realized that she could pursue a career in something she has always had a deep passion for.
“Spanish is the first thing in my life I’ve felt passionate about to the extent that I want to pursue it as a career,” she said. “UL Lafayette provided me with the ability to explore that passion in an environment where exploration is encouraged.
“I chose to change my major to Spanish because, from a young age, I was fascinated by the Spanish language,” she said. “I have to thank 'Dora the Explorer' for that, honestly. Through high school, I excelled in my Spanish courses because they were fun.
“I found that being able to communicate with a person in their native tongue is an intimate way of connecting with another human,” she said.
“However, only being able to communicate in that manner with only two years of high-school Spanish wasn’t satisfactory.”
The UL Lafayette community and professors have helped make Victoria’s college experience transformative.
“I’ve met so many great people here and I’m bound to meet more during my remaining semesters,” she said. “From friends to professors that have inspired me, I’ve been exposed to so many different kinds of people and I’m very grateful for the diversity on campus.
“Every professor I’ve taken or even spoken to has been so helpful and confident in their teaching ability,” she said. “The staff is supportive of their students and I feel as though they genuinely care about the success of their students.”
Victoria is taking advantage of the University’s choices for minors to get a feel for her future career.
“I recently changed my minor from education to law because I want to explore potential career paths for my future,” she said. “I’m interested in exploring immigration law. Should this be the path I choose, Spanish would be essential for communicating with potential clients in a way that may be more comfortable for them.
“Regardless of where I go, my degree in Spanish can be utilized in a variety of ways, from speaking to others on a daily basis in casual conversation to potential negotiations, translation contacts, or even a classroom setting.
“Having a degree in Spanish opens many doors and provides many opportunities because you can communicate with the entire population of Spanish-speaking individuals, whereas if you’re monolingual you’re confined to one group of people,” Victoria said.
