Interviewed by Sophia Marcum
A graduate of Bluffton High School’s Class of 2014, Joel Ritter has been doing some incredible things in pursuit of his aspirations. After spending this Spring semester studying abroad in Nicaragua, he took some time to share what’s been on his plate lately.
Where are you attending school and what are you studying?
I'm attending Miami University and am majoring in Spanish Education and Spanish.
What led you to this field of study?
I've wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten, but I was never quite sure what I wanted to teach. In my junior year of high school, when the time came to really start thinking about stuff like that, I decided to go with my gut and picked my favorite subject, Spanish. And I may be a bit biased, but there are a lot of really cool things that come along with it: knowing another language, travel, and so much more.
You’ve just finished studying abroad in Nicaragua. Can you tell us a little bit about the program and what you did there?
The program that I studied abroad with was a semester-long program, running from January until May, in Granada, Nicaragua, that mostly dealt with language and immersion in the community.
There were only seven students in the program, and it was super cool because we all became very close. I got the chance to live with a host family who spoke only Spanish. Academic-wise, the mornings were a bit like "normal" college; we would go to our school building and have class, but a few days a week we would all go to our volunteer sites, which I'll talk a bit more about later.
Tell us about one of your favorite moments from your time spent there.
This is a really hard question. One of my favorite memories that still makes me laugh whenever I think about it was when two kids from our volunteer site, Guadalupe and Francesca, played a game with Jordan, another Miami student, that I called "blind march."
They told us to keep our eyes closed (and yelled at us when we peeked) and led us around the school yard by the hand. Jordan and I blindly shook hands with trees, ran around a soccer field, and more. The game ended when they told us they were leading us to a tree to see what they described in dramatic and excited tones "la mariquita: the most beautiful thing in the world."
We arrived at a tree and they told us to open our eyes and "behold, la mariquita" Sitting on the tree branch in front of us was just a simple ladybug - the final destination of a recess-long "blind march." Jordan and I were touched, though, that they'd gone through all of that just to show us "the most beautiful thing in the world."
What is Nicaraguan food like?
Carbs, carbs, carbs! All of the food was very good. A typical meal in my house consisted of a type of meat, a type of rice, and a banana cooked in some interesting way. And of course gallo pinto, a traditional Nicaraguan rice and bean dish, made many welcome appearances.
What is something you learned this past semester you hope to integrate into your life back home?
I learned a ton about time management. Homework took much longer, since it was all in Spanish, so a normal night's workload always lasted a bit longer than it would have at home. There's usually more time to get things done than you think there is, and once you start a daunting task, no matter how dreadful it might seem, it always seems better than it did before you started. (I also learned that anything less than 97 degrees isn't that hot...)
How did your Spanish skills evolve throughout the semester?
Past a certain point they evolved very quickly, which I suppose came through the necessity to use Spanish in day-to-day life. I didn't have any choice but to listen and learn.
It's really cool to have those moments where you suddenly understand what's going on around you, when you know that just a few months ago it would've been beyond your abilities. Granted, I probably said some pretty ridiculous things in the process.
You were vice president of Spanish Club at BHS and clearly your love of Spanish has transcended high school. What was inspiring to you when learning Spanish in high school?
Profe King was a great teacher, and before going to college I got to talk with him about being a Spanish teacher. I'd had a vague interest in languages for a while before that, but his class really made me fall in love with the Spanish language in particular.
Then, senior year, my friends and I did a project about how the language you speak affects your perception. We discovered so many awesome and fascinating things about languages… I knew that teaching one of them was something I would want to do for the rest of my life.
What has been your experience with student teaching so far? Did anything surprise you?
My experience has been absolutely wonderful. My volunteer site was an after school program for children who may not have the best homes to go back to. I worked as an aide of sorts; I would help the kids with their homework and play with them while they were out at recess.
One thing that surprised me was how extremely helpful children are at helping you learn a language. They always make sure you understand exactly what they're saying, whether it be with hand gestures, drawing little pictures, or simply by talking very, very slowly.
Do you have a mantra you live by or a favorite quote?
For a long time, my favorite quote was "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make," by The Beatles. I think that love is one most important things that we, as humans, can give and receive.
If you were to predict a piece of technology we’ll all have in the future, what do you think we’ll see in the next 100 years?
This is a hard question. I've always had my hopes up for teleportation. When I was little I even drew a rough blueprint for how teleportation might work. Although my plans aren't exactly scientifically possible, someone else's might be.
What are some of you favorite Spanish words? What do they mean?
I like "anteayer" which means "the day before yesterday". Why say four words when you can say one?
Also, "rompecabeza" which technically means "puzzle" but can literally be translated as "head-breaker" because it has a cool origin and is fun to say.
Tell us about one of your role models.
My dad is a wonderful role model. He is the most hardworking person I've ever met. As a future teacher, and in whatever else I do in life, I hope to be as selfless and loving as he is.
Joel will be a junior at Miami University this fall. If you would like to wish him well as he continues to pursue his goals, please leave a comment below.