In Search of the Language of Cervantes Anonymous

The primary focus throughout my high school career has been the mastery of the Spanish language. For the past four of my six years in Spanish class, it has been my privilege to study the tongue of Cervantes under the fine tutelage of Mrs. Maria Elena Campos, an experienced reader of Hispanic literature. Her teaching, which influenced me during travels to Spain and Costa Rica, now leads me to seek my next destination on the road to bilingual excellence, the University of Chicago.

I will never forget when this woman with bright red hair, leathery skin the color of peanut butter, and thick-heeled shoes walked through the door of Room 226. She began by saying that she was Marialena Campos, our Spanish teacher for the next year. "My class will not be easy," she warned, "and that is because many of the best things come from hard work and endurance."

Consequentially, I read with zeal in Mrs. Campos's class, a place where we have endlessly discussed Spanish literature. Our teacher never tires of using short, personal insights and tonal suggestiveness to arouse interest in the language, having guided us through several great Hispanic works, from Benito Perez Galdos's best novels, "Dona Perfecta"...