With graduation slowly approaching, we are spotlighting our amazing graduating Linguistics majors each day. For our next spotlight, we are highlighting Madelyn Kloske. Madelyn is from Huntsville, Alabama and has been in the Linguistics department since her sophomore year in 2019, adding it to her Spanish major. Continue reading below to learn more about her and her experiences in our department.
1. What’s next for you after graduation?
I will be attending the University of Alabama as a student in their MA Applied Linguistics/TESOL program.
2. What is your biggest achievement as an undergraduate?
It is hard to decide on one biggest achievement as an undergraduate but I guess overall, it would be how I have managed to involve myself and learn so much as a student, a research assistant, a TESL intern, among other campus involvements. This is in addition to my biggest extracurricular involvement of all which is being a varsity rower and VP of the Florida Club Rowing team. From developing leadership and teamwork skills to becoming nationally ranked at some of the biggest competitions in the country, I will forever remember the impact being part of this team had on me.
3. What will you miss most about the UF Linguistics?
I will miss the faculty and close knit community of the Linguistics department. In speaking with people from other majors, I have not heard of any with as thoughtful and dedicated professors as those I have had the privilege to learn from. From Dr. Golombek, my linguistics mom, to Dr. Rossi, my research mentor, to Dr. Garner who inspired me to pursue the UA masters program, and all the other professors and grad students in between, I thank you!
4. What advice would you give junior Linguistics majors?
Some advice I would give junior Linguistics majors is to take as much of a variety of Linguistics courses as you can. I ended up following more of the psycholinguistics and TESL related courses in addition to Spanish linguistics courses, which limited me a bit. There are many Linguistics courses I regret to not have been able to take, so I would encourage you to cast your net wide and take advantage of the flexibility to choose your courses within the Linguistics major. Additionally, have fun with your classes, ask questions, and go chat with your professors in their office hours. There is so much to learn beyond just completing assignments for a grade or cramming for an exam at the last minute.