Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

La Gaceta Internacional
Department of Spanish and Portuguese Alumni Newsletter
College of Arts and Sciences
Department Website | Newsletter Archive Volume 20 | Summer 2015

 

Department of Spanish & Portuguese
www.indiana.edu/~spanport

Chair
Steve Wagschal

Editor
Laura Gurzynski-Weiss

Managing Editor
Jane Drake

Editorial Assistants
Jim Lynch and Ellen Robinson

College of Arts & Sciences

Dean
Larry Singell, Jr.

Executive Director of Advancement
Travis Paulin

Director of Alumni Relations
Vanessa Cloe

Alumni News

group photo

Meghan Lanni is pictured with her husband of three years, Jason. They live in Oxford Missouri with their German Shepherd, Bailey.

IU Spanish Degree Made All the Difference

by Meghan (Matuszak) Lanni, (BA ’04)

I graduated from IU Bloomington in December 2004 earning a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Spanish (with high distinction), and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with general honors and with high distinction.  I have always had a passion for both health and the Spanish language, and aspired to utilize my foreign language skills in a future medical career.

Following graduation, I attended Saint Louis University where I earned a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2008.  I moved back home to southeast Missouri, and worked as a Physician's Assistant (PA) in primary care pediatrics for 3 years. The clinic where I worked served a large Hispanic population; patients would travel specifically to our office just to be able to speak their native language with me or the other Spanish-speaking provider and, thus, feel comfortable during important medical encounters. On any given day, about 75% of the patients I saw spoke and comprehended only Spanish. Already having a solid knowledge base and language proficiency from my IU education, I quickly became fluent in Spanish as I was speaking it for hours every day and was essentially immersed in the culture.

 I thoroughly loved my role as a pediatric PA, but decided I wanted to grow personally and professionally by seeking experience in hospital-based critical care medicine. For the past 3 years I have been working as a PA in Cardiovascular Surgery at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Missouri.  In my current role, I am responsible for the post-operative management of patients undergoing coronary bypass and valve repair/replacement surgeries. This job can be very intense, but it is extremely rewarding to help patients in ways that will vastly improve their quality of living....if not save their lives. Although I haven't needed to utilize my Spanish speaking skills as much in this role, I think this will change as our hospital system expands. It is my ultimate goal to one day teach a course or courses in Spanish for medical professionals.

My IU Spanish degree has tremendously shaped who I am today on both a personal and professional level. On a personal note, my studies have opened my eyes to the science of linguistics, and the processes involved in the acquisition of a language, particularly a second language. This has shaped me into a more thoughtful and analytical person, one who seeks to understand the how's and the why's.  It has also allowed me to be more sensitive to anyone learning a language. Additionally, my Spanish courses instilled in me a thirst for knowledge and discovery for the sake of becoming enlightened, enriched, and well-rounded. I view learning as a fun and exciting puzzle and as each piece comes together the closer I get to the prizes of awareness and comprehension. Certainly, knowing Spanish has also allowed me to meet and befriend people from different walks of life.

On a professional level, my IU degree has allowed me to understand the power of communication, especially where significant factors such as health and well-being are concerned. To be an effective PA, or any medical provider for that matter, one must be able to build a partnership with their patients based on trust; one must achieve good rapport. This can only happen through clear communication and explanation on behalf of the provider, and full understanding and participation on behalf of the patient. Thus, by being fluent in Spanish, I am able to form bonds with many more people who would otherwise feel overwhelmed with fear from lack of understanding.  Knowing Spanish allows me to accurately elicit concerns and symptoms, educate, calm fears, promote healing through motivation, and eventually, as a result, improve outcomes with my Spanish-only speaking patients. Moreover, my IU education has taught me cultural awareness, a necessity for being able to deliver adequate medical care.  By understanding and being sensitive to the beliefs and practices that make up a patient's value system, I can understand the patient as an individual apart from their disease/diagnosis, and therefore treat them accordingly and effectively.

I will forever feel blessed to have been mentored by Professor Kimberly Geeslin during my time at IU. She is a passionate professional who genuinely cares about her students; she loves what she teaches and her spirit is infectious. She was always available to offer help, guidance, and support. She wants to see her students succeed, reach their potential, and follow their aspirations not just during their time at IU but more importantly in life. Professor Geeslin will remain one of my greatest inspirations.

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Alumni Notes


Please, Alums, send us your news so we can publish it here in the next edition! Stay in touch, share your updates anytime throughout the year. Email: lagaceta@indiana.edu.


Adam Hoock (MA ‘10) "I am preparing to begin my third—and final—year of law school at the University of Miami. The research, writing, and close textual analysis skills I honed during my time in the graduate program at IU have been invaluable:  I am currently ranked first in our class of 378 students, something very marketable in this tough legal job market.  I know that the training I received at IU has much to do with my current success."

Nelson Cerqueira (PhD ’86) published a new book on Comparative Literature and Brazilian Studies, a bilingual book, English and Portuguese, on aesthetic influence in the output of the most famous Brazilian writer in the XXth century, Jorge Amado. The first chapter deals with the impact of Soviet Communist Party policies upon Amado's content and character development; the second chapter studies the interrelationship between novel and ethnopoetics; and the third, explore the influence of medieval hero in Amado's proletarian novel. The book also investigates Amado's role as a promoter of socialist ideas and translator of proletarian Russian, Chinese and Spanish American novelists.

Carmen Cronin (BA ’10) has received a 2015-16 Fulbright US Student Award to conduct research in Uganda. Cronin is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Research Project Coordinator in Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University.

Oscar Ozette (PhD ’74) recently published ¡Ánimo! Living in Different Worlds, which tells the tender stories of a barely seven-year-old youngster and his working-class parents who immigrate to the Bronx shortly after W.W.II and overstay their visa for six years. Told in engaging and moving vignettes, the writer recalls his efforts to surmount the hurdles of living in two different and bewildering worlds. He recounts his years at IU and the impact his professors had on him. He reveals his thoughts on family, friendship, bullying, education, immigration and service to others.
Reach me at: oscarozete@wowway.com

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