PROFILE: Ryan Salvador
Meet Ryan!
Like most Honors students Ryan's interests are eclectic. "I didn't know what I liked more, the sciences or the humanities, so I took as much of everything as I could," he says. In high school he was involved in clubs ranging from physics to fencing, ran cross country, played piano, and taught himself how to play guitar. In the summers he volunteered at a number of charitable organizations including a retirement home and a camp for the visually impaired. He is a senior English major with a Spanish minor. He studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain for the Fall 2008 semester, and plans on pursuing Applied Linguistics and/or TESOL in graduate school, but might teach English abroad for a year.
What have been some of your proudest accomplishments or most memorable experiences at Maryland so far?
One of my favorite experiences since I've come to Maryland is participating in the Argentine Tango Club. I was sitting in my floor lounge in Denton Hall doing engineering homework with some other people when two girls from down the hall came in and asked us if we wanted to go to tango class. At that point, I had never taken a dance class in my life, but I threw my books back into my room and went with them. Since then, the two girls, another guy who they were able to convince and I have taken control of the club, and I've had the pleasure of organizing the lessons every semester. This past April, four of us from the ATC performed at Maryland Day, which was definitely one of my proudest accomplishments. My time with the tango club has taught me to always try new things because you never know where you can find something you'll be passionate about.
Another memorable experience was going on Alternative Spring Break in March 2008. My group traveled to San Francisco to examine issues of race and class in the criminal justice system and what is known as the "prison industrial complex." One focus of the trip was examining the prison system as first and foremost a human issue. We traveled to San Quentin State Prison to talk with some men, many of whom have been incarcerated for years, about their experiences and how they think the criminal justice system should be shaped. We also spent time at a youth assembly and raised money for an organization that is focused on providing youth with programming and opportunities to spend their time productively in hopes of steering them away from crime. To relax, we also traveled to the harbor and Golden Gate Bridge. It was definitely a life-changing experience, and I am proud to have gone on it.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I am still not 100% on what I want to do after college. I'm probably going to apply for graduate school and get a Masters in Secondary Education, but whether I want to do that immediately after graduation or not is something I'm still deciding. I may apply for a Fulbright fellowship or another program and teach abroad first, but who knows? I want to become a high school English teacher and then maybe branch out into college counseling or administration. I also want to have time to travel.
How would you spend a free week?
First off, I love lying in bed with a good book. If I had a week of free time, I would probably start off by finishing a book I had started or starting a new book. I also like playing guitar and piano, so I'd probably kill some hours doing that. If the weather were nice, I would go outside and take some pictures because I'm kind of addicted to my camera. But I would spend most of my time with my friends—either going to dinner, random outings to DC or elsewhere, concerts, or just hanging around in a lounge or residence hall. My friends are what make up the majority of my college experience, and I would spend as much time with them as I could.
What advice would you give to incoming freshman?
The best advice I would give to incoming freshman is to come to college eager to learn. With that in mind, a lot of things follow. Try new things, get involved, so you can learn what you like and what you're good at—I never once thought that I would take up dancing before I came to college, and now it is one of the activities that I am most involved with. Use all the resources that the university offers to help you, whether it is getting help from your professor or getting your resume looked over by the Career Center. Learn from you friends, even as you have fun with them. Listen.
And lastly, GO TO CLASS.
