Undergraduate Student News

Experiential Learning Opportunities and New Honors Society Installation

This year the department initiated important new opportunities to enrich undergraduate student experience. First, we created and began offering a one-credit Experiential Learning course in Spanish or Portuguese, which enables undergraduates to make intellectual connections between scholarly pursuits and community involvement, in work on creative projects that benefit communities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, activist groups, or foundations. Under the guidance of the department’s Outreach Coordinator, Israel Herrera, more than 40 undergraduate students participated in our new experiential learning endeavor in its first year. Students received academic credit for participating in a variety of different activities including Bloomington’s “La Escuelita para Todos”(a biliteracy and bilingual program for Latino children), dual language elementary school programs at three local public schools, and the Redbud Hill Senior Living and Retirement Center, among others.

This year also marked another important development in the department, as we installed our very own chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. Our IU Bloomington chapter is called Alpha Alpha Phi, and on Friday, December 8, 2017, Professor Steven Wagschal presided over the induction of 21 students who became members and 5 faculty who became honorary members. Sigma Delta Pi honors high-achieving students who have attained excellence in the study of Spanish language and in the study of literature and culture of the Hispanic world and encourages students to acquire an even greater understanding of Hispanic culture. To qualify, prospective members must be taking advanced courses in Spanish literature and/or culture and meet specific expectations regarding GPA.

In the coming year, the department plans to continue expanding the Spanish-language and Portuguese-language opportunities for our students in these and other ways.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Jessica Fogarty

My love of Spanish began in high school. Coming to IU, I intended to complete a minor in Spanish, and I had a strong desire to study abroad. While progressing through my first few semesters at IU, my love of the language continued to grow so much that I decided that I wanted to complete a major. Around this same time, I applied to study abroad in Alcalá de Henares in Spain. My month abroad in the summer of 2016 allowed me to improve my Spanish by practicing my skills with my host family and other natives I encountered. It also exposed me to a new culture.

My senior year, I enrolled in the X370 experiential learning credit and began using my Spanish in the Bloomington community. In the fall, I volunteered with the program Escuelita and helped teach Spanish at Clear Creek Elementary School. In the spring, I continued teaching at Clear Creek, and I also began helping teach Spanish at Summit Elementary School. These experiences allowed me to share my love of Spanish with the community, and it allowed me to learn from the community as well.

My academics and my involvement in the Spanish Department at IU lead to my induction into the Spanish Honors Society, Sigma Delta Pi, and my induction into one of the most prestigious honors societies in the nation, Phi Beta Kappa. I was also named one of Indiana’s Outstanding College Students of Spanish in 2017. I intend to continue using my Spanish in Fort Worth, Texas as I move forward to complete my masters in Speech-Language Pathology.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Gabriel Jones

The purpose of a liberal arts education is to experience the world with an open mind and begin to understand its beautifully complex diversity. This is exactly what my liberal arts education has given to me. As a recent graduate with degrees in Spanish, International Studies, and Informatics, along with a certificate in the Liberal Arts & Management Program, I have been able to step outside my comfort zone and learn across disciplines, cultures, and schools of thought. My experience with Spanish exemplifies how incredibly beneficial my time at Indiana University has been.

Although I learned a lot with high school Spanish, I originally lacked confidence in the language and even shied away from admitting that I spoke un poquito. But with the support of inspirational instructors and hard-working classmates, I gained the confidence to start practicing regularly and meeting new friends at Café Hispano, and I quickly desired much more exposure. This desire led me to to study abroad in the Dominican Republic, where I became deeply passionate about immersing myself in the culture. The experience influenced me so much that immersing myself in different cultures has become my new comfort zone, and I will continue this engagement by studying abroad in Spain and visiting Germany, Russia, and China this summer before starting full-time work as a consultant.

Ultimately, I owe my experience to the scholarships that enabled me to learn and the teachers and professors that inspired me to work hard and accomplish the mission of a liberal arts education. I aspire to reciprocate by eventually becoming a professor, like my father. I hope to be an influential part of young people’s lives and make meaningful contributions to research in development economics, information science, linguistics, and related fields.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Zoe King

I’ve always felt that if one wants to produce meaningful and universally beneficial work then they should try to reach as many people as possible. I believe that learning another language is the best way to accomplish that. However, after many years of learning Spanish, I have come to realize how important it is to not only be able to communicate your ideas but also understand experiences that are not your own. Through this language, I have had the privilege of learning the experiences of Spanish speakers through firsthand accounts, and I have come to develop my political and social understanding of the world through their stories. Therefore, my time studying in Spain has enabled me to improve both my Spanish and my understanding of others. I am incredibly grateful for the scholarships that have granted me the incredible opportunity to expand my ability to communicate with others, such as the Hutton Family Study Abroad Scholarship and the Palmer-Brandon Scholarship in the Humanities. Although I am not exactly sure what the future holds, I plan to utilize this skill in order to reach as many people as possible with my work.

Honors and Awards

Five Spanish Majors received a prestigious Palmer-Brandon Scholarship in the Humanities, which recognizes students who are in the top 1 percent of undergraduates in their fields in terms of academic achievement, intellectual ability, and demonstrated commitment to the humanities. They are:

Mark Bond (BA Hispanic Literature and International Studies)
Zoe King (BA Hispanic Studies, Sociology, and Political Science. Minor in Psychology)
Mary Lechner (BA Hispanic Studies and Sociology. Minor in Political Science)
Kaitlynn Milvert (BA in Hispanic Literature and English. Minor in Portuguese)
Sophia Muston (BA in Hispanic Studies and Journalism. Minor in German)

Other Award Recipients:

Abigail Alwine was awarded an Ashley Crouse Memorial Scholarship, given by the department, to pursue summer study in Alcala, Spain.

Alyssa Anglin was granted a departmental Dr. Andrew Thieneman Scholarship to study this summer in the Dominican Republic.

Lindsey Altum received a Dr. Andrew Thieneman Scholarship, given by the department, for summer study in the Dominican Republic.

Alexia Barraza received the Pedro Díaz Sejías Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the department, in support of her academic and career pursuits.

Madeline Birch received the department’s Theodore Dorf Scholarship towards her summer study in Alcala, Spain.

Blake Bradley was granted a departmental Dr. Andrew Thieneman Scholarship toward summer study in the Dominican Republic.

Lucy Brown earned the Kate Hevner Mueller Senior Recognition Award.

Jessica Chiang won the Susan Butler Senior Recognition Award.

Madeline Danforth will spend next year in Mexico as a Fulbright scholar, where she will partake in cultural and educational exchange as an English teaching assistant. While in Mexico, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of Mexican culture and the Spanish language. Afterwards, Madeline will attend Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to pursue her MD. Madeline also was the recipient of the Herman B Wells Senior Recognition Award.

Sergio Gonzalez received the 2018 IU Distinguished Latino Undergraduate Award.

Isabel Lopez was awarded the Rachel DiPietro-James Scholarship, given by the department, to participate in the CIEE program in Buenos Aires this fall.

Molly Miner earned a departmental Theodore Dorf Scholarship to study in Alcala, Spain this summer.

Caroline Oates received the Senior Recognition Kate Hevner Mueller Award.

Isaak Spain received a Dr. Andrew Thieneman Scholarship, awarded by the department, to support his summer study in the Dominican Republic.

Amanda Tolen received the department’s Ashley Crouse Memorial Scholarship to pursue summer study in Alcala, Spain.

Graduated with Department Honors

Matthew Cinkoske, Spanish, advisor Kimberly Geeslin
Caitlin Mulholland, Spanish, advisor Olimpia Rosenthal
Neeta Patwari, Spanish, advisor Olimpia Rosenthal

Phi Beta Kappa Electees

Fall 2017
Leah Beck
Margaret Bott
Megan Diekhoff                
Allison Hamilton
Annamarie King            
Caroline Oates
Megan Read           
Mary Anne Smart
                           
Spring 2018
Jessica Chiang
Erin Duffin
Jessica Fogarty
Sara Hardman
Eleanor Klemsz
Katye Lester
Neeta Patwari
Samuel Pickett
Luke Red
Audrey Roth

Sigma Delta Pi Electees

Nina Bakshi
Emily Barber
Leah Beck
Mary Bolander
Jessica Chiang
Matt Cinkoske
Lauren Cooper
Kaitlynn Cull
Madeline Danforth
Jacklyn Flores
Jessica Fogarty
Sergio Gonzalez
Hope Hiller
Gabriel Jones
Andrew Killion
Zoe King
Caroline Oates
Juan Orrego
Zoe Railing
Megan Read
Alexis Rueff
Bianca Zero