Featured Bilingual Bronco: Gabby Bates

“My name is Gabby Bates. I am currently a junior at Boise State and I am studying accounting and Spanish, so I am a student in the College of Business and Economics as well as the College of Arts and Sciences. I’m expected to graduate in May of 2021 so that would keep me on track to graduate within the four years with both of my degrees.  I was able to achieve that by meeting with advisers as early as possible figuring out that I did want to do a double major. I wanted to try to finish in four as much as I could or to the  best of my ability but I also wanted to fit in a semester abroad and then actually moving to  Spain so by meeting with my advisers early by setting up my  class schedules my first meetings with my advisers and getting everything  planned out I am still on track to graduate in four and don’t plan to not. I studied abroad in the spring of 2019 and Bilbao, Spain, it’s in the northern part of Spain in the Basque region.  I studied through a program called USAC, which these days sponsors a study abroad program so I was able to go to the University of the Basque Country but the  business specific College of that  University so I was able to get my  Spanish requirements done while I was  abroad as well as the business classes  that I needed to take to stay on track  for graduation.  I also took a heavier load in previous semesters my freshman sophomore year in  order to take a lighter load abroad. I really wanted to immerse myself into my  classes the culture people there, so I took a lighter load that semester  abroad just to kind of fully have the experience that I wanted. I have an internship with KPMG and SAR which is one of the  big four accounting firms so I’m beyond  excited for that. They also have an opportunity to do a global internship so once those applications come out I’ll  apply for that and hopefully split my  internship could be four weeks in  Portland and in four weeks international,  but I think just in the interviews I did  in order to get that internship right at  the top of my you know accounting and  Spanish major it was the first thing  that everyone asked you know why  accounting and Spanish? Why not accounting and finance and it was just something that I was able to say that  kind of stood me out from the rest a  little bit and just to see that the  language will benefit me in the future  when it comes to possibly getting that  global internship opportunity. If I start on with the firm full time after graduation if you’re with the firm for  about five to seven years and you have the opportunity into a three year  international rotation which is  something that I have my eyes set on. I  really want to go internationally I want  to live internationally work  internationally do all those kinds of  things and to have the opportunity to go  for three years and having Spanish it opens up my range of where I can go much  wider than if I only spoke English. You know I’m probably what I’m  passionate in even though they’re so  different there’s so there are different  colleges and just following that has  touched on just how I follow what I’m  passionate on and just as well as how I can be well-rounded as a student and as a person I think the unique thing that Spanish classes bring and studying  abroad too is getting out of your  comfort zone.  Your classes are smaller you really get to know the students in your class. We’re doing projects together you’re speaking  a second language learning different  cultures together and it just kind of made me a more well-rounded as a person  and touching on all of those different  things in interviews has kind of stood  out like maybe you stand out to the  people interviewing me and showing kind  of more my creative side. Because now in  the field of accounting you know  accounting is accounting you can learn  the numbers you can learn how it goes  but at the end of the day a big part of  people who are interviewing you is they  want to know how you are as a person how  you interact with other people how you  feel getting out of your comfort zone  talking to people you may know or may  not know and I think starting a second  language and spending five months  internationally in a different culture  with that language is something that  helps to show that you fit the mold of  kind of the person that they’re looking  for. What’s often common is students who  are studying business think they should  double major in two business degrees or  major in a business degree and minor in  another business degree which are  awesome paths and they’re bring you a  ton of success in your future but having  that second language and having that  international experience is something  that you won’t get and you won’t have by  just safe staying with the business  majors.”