Study the most popular language in the U.S., aside from English 

Studying any language is exciting, intellectually challenging, relevant, and practical. The study of Spanish, in particular, not only allows a student to learn a second language, but also exposes them to a variety of Hispanic traditions of astounding quality, breadth, and diversity.

One only needs to consider the literary works of, for example, Cervantes, García Márquez, Neruda, Allende, Borges, or Lorca. Or in the visual arts and music: Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Khalo, Rivera, Rodgrigo, Segovia. The result of such exposure is that students' cross-cultural knowledge expands, their critical skills improve dramatically, as does their self-awareness.

The study of Spanish, finally, is extremely practical. The World Almanac states that, after Mandarin, English, and Hindi, Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world. It is spoken by 320 million people in over 20 countries in the world including 14.5 million people in the United States. Some argue that Spanish will become (if it isn't already) the second language in the United States!