Ellie Johandes graduated from U-M in May 2022 with a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Science, M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, and a minor in Spanish. While at first she thought Spanish and Biomedical Engineering would have no overlap, she found that they “synergized with each other.”
“Trying to find the right words in a Spanish essay (or writing around a word I didn’t know) helped me troubleshoot physics problems,” Ellie said. “The precision of Engineering seeped over to my translation classes. Studying the poets and authors of Spanish speaking countries made me better at communicating my experimental results. I credit Spanish with helping me be a more effective researcher.”
Ellie began studying Spanish her first year of high school. She said she fell in love with the language and learning about other cultures, so she continued her studies at U-M. While she came to U-M knowing she wanted to be in a field related to biology, she wasn’t sure which specific field to go into. Ellie narrowed down her options in the first year by taking into account the subjects that she liked and disliked, as well as her future career goals.
“I wanted to go into a field where I could keep learning and discovering things while helping others,” Ellie said. “As such, when I heard about the Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Studies (SUGs) program offered in Biomedical Engineering, it was a perfect fit.”
One of Ellie’s favorite classes she took was an Intro to Translation course. She enjoyed the challenge of translating meaning rather than exact phrases, and thought it was fun to play around with the grammar of both languages. Otherwise, her favorite classes were the ones that she thought she would have never picked on her own, but ended up in due to scheduling.
“There was an entire class dedicated to the works of Calderón de la Barca, known as the “Spanish Shakespeare,” Ellie said. “I thought the subject would be dull, but it was fascinating to learn the historical context of his plays, and his works have a meter that is gorgeous to read. I highly recommend taking a poetry or literature-based Spanish class to really get the feel of the language.”
Aside from taking classes, Ellie tutored students in Spanish and volunteered at a local high school, assisting ESL students with understanding their assignments and course work. She also said she loves listening to Spanish music. A large part of Ellie’s Spanish learning experience was her time as a research assistant in the Speech Production Lab (SPL) where she had hands-on experiences bringing ideas from the planning stage to publication, as well as the opportunity to be mentored and mentor others.
Ellie is currently pursuing her PhD in Bioengineering at Notre Dame, with the goal of eventually becoming a professor. She is exploring how oxygen levels impact cell behavior. She said her time studying Spanish will continue to influence how she communicates her ideas to others. Additionally, given that research is a global pursuit, she is excited to see what doors Spanish opens for international collaboration.
When asked if she had any advice for Spanish learners, she responded: “Remember that the goal of language is not to be perfect, but to be understood. “Don’t be afraid to speak in class or with your friends because you’re worried about mistakes. The more you practice, the easier it will be. Also, if you are learning Spanish later in life, Dr. García-Amaya teaches some amazing classes about language acquisition that are not only interesting for anyone who wants to know more about linguistics, but they taught me to be kinder to myself as a Spanish learner."
