Spanish Major Alexandra Catherine Wells Selected for National Humanities Leadership Council

Story by Dr. Sharina Maíllo-Pozo

Alexandra is a senior Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar at the University of Georgia, studying Cellular Biology and Spanish. She conducted undergraduate research with the Kipreos Lab and the team’s work was recently published in Nature Communications. Alexandra was nominated by Romance Languages Faculty to be a student representative on the National Humanities Leadership Council (NHLC) because of her exploration of the importance of humanistic perspectives in solving current global issues. Here's an excerpt from our interview:

Congratulations on being selected as a member of the National Humanities Leadership Council! Can you share with me what this means to you?

Acceptance to the National Humanities Leadership Council is an incredible honor and I am so grateful that my interdisciplinary education has led me to this point. I am thrilled to join a community of students, professionals and mentors who share an appreciation for the humanities and an interest in exploring how they can guide us in making thoughtful decisions. I am excited to bring a medical perspective to our conversations and explore its intersections with other fields.

How has your Spanish major and experience with another language been helpful in communicating scientific concepts and writings to general audiences?

My Spanish education has challenged me to closely explore language, helping me realize that science is also a language—one that healthcare professionals have the unique responsibility of translating for people with varying levels of scientific knowledge. My humanities education has invited literary strategies and fictional characters into my understanding of biological systems. In this way, communicating scientific concepts becomes a form of storytelling.

What would you say are some highlights of being a Spanish major and a Science major? How do both of these disciplines converge and what meaningful connections can you make between them?

Both of my majors provide powerful spaces for creativity. Following a biochemistry lecture on chemical signaling with a conversation about the performance of identity in my Spanish class, invites me to explore the world at different levels of magnification. Learning a second language has also helped me feel comfortable with making mistakes, which are guaranteed in language classrooms. Practicing messing up over and over has challenged me to be vulnerable and resilient in academic spaces. My combined interests have also led me to explore healthcare in far away places like Costa Rica and Peru, while connecting me to amazing organizations closer to home like the Athens Free Clinic.

How has your experience with courses from your Spanish major impacted your approach to the medical field?

As an incoming freshman, I didn’t realize that a major in Spanish would offer so much more than language instruction. I’ve had the chance to take super interesting content classes like “Coming of Age Latinx in the United States,” and “Latin American Film” that have invited me into amazing conversations and changed the way I understand the world. Most importantly, my humanities courses have helped me better understand my community and the role I want to play in it. By inviting collections of voices to speak to students through poetry, short stories, articles and movies, my Spanish professors have guided me through a powerful development of empathy with the Latinx experience. The diverse sets of writing styles and perspectives we have explored together, have expanded my library and helped me refine my personal and professional goals.

Tell me about a humanities-related initiative in which you have participated and why was it meaningful to you?

Some nights, I step into the role of a taxi driver. Other times, I become a hiring manager or a teacher at a parent-teacher conference. I volunteer at Casa de Amistad, an organization that offers free English grammar and conversation classes. My role as an ENL tutor is hosting conversations in small groups and facilitating role-play activities that simulate practical situations. As a Spanish major, I understand that using a foreign language is scary. It feels weird on your tongue and the guarantee of mistakes evokes hesitancy in even the most extroverted people. This challenge to be vulnerable, however, creates unique opportunities for connection. Through Casa, I have formed friendships with some of the kindest, most wonderful people in my community outside of my age group and academic circle. I have found an awesome group of people who share the common goal of fostering community through language.

Tell me more about your career goals.

My goal is to work in pediatric specialty medicine. The biological immaturity of pediatric patients and the speed at which their physiology changes offers an additional complexity to medicine that I am drawn to and I’m excited by the role that pediatricians play in deconstructing it for patients and their families. Though I’m really fascinated with human biology, I am driven by my dedication to work with kids. I feel most like myself when I’m around them because they remind me to be silly and ask questions. My overall professional goal is to help make healthcare spaces less sterile than medicine.