Chris Gollmar ’10

I am a double-degree fifth-year from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, majoring in Hispanic Studies and Composition.

Studying both Spanish and music at an undergraduate level has completely enlivened my interest in and respect for these fields. Even though I've been studying Spanish since middle school, I never really realized how much I enjoy learning a new language until I had the chance to spend a year living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For me, studying outside of the country was an essential part of my Hispanic Studies major. Actually, I think getting out and exploring the world is an essential part of any great college education, no matter your major.

Oberlin has also really opened up the world of contemporary music to me. Composition has been a great way for me to explore new creative ideas. Personally, I'm very interested in experimentalism and indeterminacy. Any time I can get performers to play something of mine that is a little bit outside of their comfort zone, I know I'm doing something right. The Composition department has taught me to explore new places just as much as Hispanic Studies has.

Aside from trying to be a good student, I have — among other distractions — held down a couple different staff positions for the Oberlin Review, taught an ExCo course on typography, sung in the Collegium Musicum choir, and cooked Tuesday lunches and facilitated discussions in Fairchild co-op. With my two majors and all of my other interests, I have absolutely no clue what I want to do after I graduate. May 2010 is getting awfully close!