I have been interested in language for as long as I can remember. As a future linguist, I want to continue learning about how language interacts with the world.During my time so far, I have taken Phonology, Semantics, Syntax, Sociolinguistics, Field Methods, and additional Applied Linguistic courses. In the Field Methods course, I worked directly with a native Zapotec speaker using elicitation methods to further analyze the functions of Zapotec. Zapotec is an indigenous language to a village in Oaxaca, Mexico.Outside of the classroom, I traveled to Mexico City, Mexico, to complete linguistic research. The study focuses on how monolingual native Spanish speakers react to accented speech from native and non-native speakers. During my 8 week stay, I fell in love with the culture and this experience made me feel proud to be a linguistic student.