Pablo, Spanish and International Media and Communication Studies

Meet Pablo - He talks to us about why studying on a course with an international element is important to him, his work with the Hispanic Society and how he hopes to help future first generation immigrants settle into Nottingham.

Please note: this course has been renamed Modern Languages and International Media and Communications

Why is the international element of International Media and Communication important?

There are many international students on my course, International Media and Communication, which is of huge benefit and massively enhances our experience. Being able to discuss how the media works in different parts of the world with people who have actually lived there really broadens our understanding of the subject. I think it's excellent.

Why did you choose a course with a language?

Learning a language as part of my course opens up career opportunities. After graduation, I could work in abroad or the UK, or even work for a UK news outlet overseas, like the BBC.

The course allows me to shape the media and communication work towards the language I am learning, for example I've taken a Hispanic Cinema module, a Transnational Media module and last year I took a Spanish Literature module. The Hispanic Studies side definitely complements the International Media and Communication side, they go together really well.

Applying theory to practical work

For the Cultures of Everyday Life module we went out into the streets and produced a portfolio of sounds and pictures annotated to demonstrate how everyday life effects us. It was quite a philosophical module and we used concepts, such as Rhythmanalysis, to analysis our findings. The theoretical knowledge definitely helped me when producing the practical work.

The Hispanic Society

I'm the Cultural Secretary for the Hispanic Society. It's a large society, with about 230 members and was voted Best Student Group by UonSU 2021/22. Members are from Hispanic backgrounds, Spanish language courses or anyone who wants to learn about the Hispanic world. You don't need to speak Spanish to be welcome, in fact, one of our mottos is 'Even if you don't speak Spanish, just join!'. That's part of our culture, we like people to join in, we like to have fun. Come and learn!

Helping students integrate into the wider community

I have recently become a Community Engagement Officer, which is a role that looks after students living in the local communities. We help them fit into these communities by advising on practical issues such as rubbish collection and Neighbourhood Watch schemes. As part of this role, I'm also going to meet Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South.

Starting a new charity

Myself and some of the other members of the Hispanic Society are setting up a charity to help Latin American children who have moved to the UK settle into their new lives here. It'll be called Empower LATAM. Many people leave Latin America looking to improve their family's lives, but as a child coming to a new country it's a massive cultural shock and can be very isolating. As first generation immigrants, we know exactly how they feel. So we want to create a safe space for Latin American people, especially young people, to build a space where they can turn when things feel difficult.