Eric Espinoza ’23

Putting the Knox Experience to Work

Knox College’s Spanish translation and interpretation program has given its participants a leg up when it comes to graduate school and professional opportunities. Read more about how Eric Espinoza ’23 has used his minor to achieve post-graduate success.

How does Szold Distinguished Service Professor of Modern Languages Robin Ragan make the course beneficial to students?

One of the great things about her is that she’s so hands-on, bringing activities and real-world examples to the classroom. She had partnered with Detention Resistance, an organization that helps detainees in Southern California. Our assignment was to listen to the audios, transcribe them, and then translate them into English.

How did the translation and interpretation classes and program help you post graduation?

I hold a certificate from Knox that shows I completed a certain number of program hours, which helped me get my current job as a program coordinator at the Shirley Ryan Lab. I create programs for Spanish-speaking participants and try to bridge the gap between those participating in research who are Spanish-speaking and those getting into the research study who are not. 

Do you feel your participation in the program benefited you?

When I was applying at Lurie’s Children, everybody was much older than I was. I was a recent graduate and the youngest; it felt awkward. But when I came out of Knox, I had a strong resume and skills they liked, so I was able to be part of the team. One amazing thing about the program is that Robin builds connections with other organizations, so everybody in our program has hands-on experience and can get a job in interpreting or translation, or any job that requires Spanish.

What is next for you?

My goal is to go to medical school, and I want to do my master’s in community health and prevention science. I’m applying to schools next, but I want to continue working with Spanish-speaking populations, so interpreting and translation will be helpful. Now I can be an advocate and bring translation and interpreting into the team. 

Learn more about Knox's Spanish translation and interpretation program in Knox Magazine.