Not as hard as you think: Why one RSJ student is double-majoring.
Getting one degree seems hard enough for most students. For double-major Dominique DiPietro, the idea that double-majoring is harder is a myth. She’ll be graduating with a degree in Spanish and journalism.
DiPietro, a junior, said being bilingual is crucial in today’s media age.
“Especially in journalism, it’s so important to be bilingual, because here, as journalists, our job is to tell people’s stories, and it’s really hard to do that when you can’t even speak other people’s languages,” she said.
DiPietro saw first-hand how being a bilingual reporter made a difference while she was an intern at the NBC affiliate station in Reno. Her first day on the job was the same day at the Sparks Middle School shooting, where most of the population is bilingual. DiPietro said many of the students’ parents didn’t speak English.
“That really stuck out to me, and proved that hey, if I want to survive in this world, I have to be bilingual,” said DiPietro.“You have to know both languages because it’s huge, and you could really miss out on huge opportunities in telling people’s stories.”
She says many of the students she talks to are surprised that not only is she double-majoring, but that she also studied abroad, and most importantly, is graduating on time. Her biggest piece of advice for students is to enroll in 15 credits every semester, which is also the requirement for many scholarships.
“It’s not as hard as you think,” she said. “If you have to take a summer class here and there, it’s not a big deal.It’s worth it. It’s not that scary.”
