Undergraduate Student News

Walter Center Event

On March 26, 2019, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, in conjunction with the IU Walter Center for Career Achievement, organized a career event aimed at helping undergraduate students learn more about our major as well as about the relationship between majors in the humanities and careers.

The event included an hour-long presentation by Walter Center staff on career resources available to students and by Professors Alejandro Mejías-López and Manuel Díaz-Campos on the components of the major, the skills and knowledge it provides for a variety of career paths, as well as on the many existing opportunities for study abroad, research, creativity, and service at their disposal. For the second part of the event, we were very fortunate to count on the presence of nine highly accomplished departmental alumni who are enjoying successful careers in a wide array of professions and who joined us either in person or through videoconference from near and far:

Rachel Betzhoover (Chicago): Assistant Director of Grants & Contract at Lurie Children's Hospital
Kathleen Claussen (Miami): Associate Professor of Law at the University of Miami
Evan Copelly (Bloomington): Spanish Teacher at Bloomington Montessori School
Christina Dunbar (Seattle): Researcher at Amazon
Kelly Kreutz (Sao Paulo, Brazil): Independent Contractor and Research Manager
Madeline Makielski (Indianapolis): Director of Operations, Raygun Workshop
Jessica Norris (Mexico City): Foreign Service Officer at the US Embassy
Dylan Pittman (Indianapolis): Associate Attorney, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Shane Shaffer (Bloomington): Project Manager of Singota Solutions and President of ShafferWorldWide

Originally planned for up to 170 students, our department broke the attendance record, and accommodations had to be made for 238 students from the College and other campus schools, filling the rooms of Ernie Pyle Hall.  Divided into four groups, students were able to interact with our alumni and address questions regarding the relationship between our major (and studies at IU more broadly) and career paths, choices, and experiences after graduation.

Students expressed a high level of satisfaction with the event, and for us, it was wonderful to witness the engagement and interaction between our current and past students.  It was a successful event indeed!

Cellphone Festival 2019

Recent independent films such as Tangerine and Searching for Sugar Man suggest that the technology for making a film is more accessible than ever. At Indiana University Bloomington, the proximity of filmmaking technology has been fused with learning about filmmaking in Spain and Latin American countries.   

March 25, 2019 marked the first Spanish-language Cellphone Film Festival – Cine D.I.Y./Hazlo tú mismx (DIY Film/Do-It-Yourself)– organized by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University-Bloomington. Undergraduate students enrolled in "Introduction to Film Analysis in Spanish" (HISP-S 322) during the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters made collaborative short films as part of their final projects for the course. Those films, twelve in total, took center stage at the festival.

Students were tasked with depicting on film different concepts and theories that were discussed in the course and/or imitating a particular Latinx or Spanish film director, such as Pedro Almodóvar, Lucrecia Martel, or Patricio Guzmán. Documentaries, mockumentaries, horror films, romantic comedies, melodramas, experimental films: the students' movies ran the gambit of film genres and were stylistically distinct. In keeping with S322's language of instruction, all of the films used Spanish-language dialogue.

Professor Jonathan Risner, who taught both of the courses, conceived the idea of students making their own films given that filmmaking technology has become more available with smartphones, apps, and editing software. The films served as a culmination of the semester's materials and provided the students with a hands-on experience in which they put to use the theories and ideas they had encountered in texts and on-screen.

In its inaugural year, the festival was well-attended and provided a forum to showcase undergraduate work. Looking towards the future, the occasion will serve as a starting point for subsequent festivals and, perhaps, as a launching pad for emerging independent filmmakers.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Mark Bond

The coursework offered by the Department of Spanish & Portuguese is as rewarding as it is challenging, requiring keen attention to detail and pushing students to think both creatively and analytically. Beyond language itself, these courses provide opportunities to gain highly-valued skills that are of use in any professional or academic field. My experience as a Spanish BA student has allowed me to grow as a writer and communicator within a friendly and supportive environment. I'm grateful to department faculty and staff who have never hesitated to leave the door open to student questions and comments. The professors that I've had the pleasure to learn from have been extraordinarily caring and helpful, going out of their way to treat students with respect and to inspire the development of ideas and original thought. I am thankful for all of the opportunities that the department has provided and know that these opportunities will continue to positively impact my life after graduation in the same way that they have for so many other students. ¡Gracias!

Undergraduate Perspective:
Ayesha Khan

I started learning Spanish in seventh grade, and in a strange way, I found Spanish to be a bridge between my love of the humanities and my passion for science. Coming into college, I decided to pursue a career in dentistry. Dental care is often placed as low-priority in terms of healthcare, which can lead to a variety of serious health issues, especially for low-income individuals. Because of this, providing care to underserved populations has become the ultimate end-goal for me.

Majoring in Spanish has helped me to learn the language itself, as well as understand new cultures, and being able to speak Spanish will allow me to treat a significantly greater patient population as a dentist. In order to improve my Spanish skills, I spent a semester with a host family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After returning to the States, I realized that not only had I succeeded in classes with local students abroad, but I had also formed meaningful relationships entirely in Spanish. The cultural understanding and language skills I have learned from my experiences earning a degree in Spanish at IU will be invaluable for my career as a dentist, and I am excited to continue using my degree in Spanish as a member of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Dental Medicine's Class of 2023.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Katye Lester

My passion for Spanish was first ignited when I participated in the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL) in high school. I spent six weeks in León, Spain, where I was fully immersed in the Spanish language. From then, I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in Spanish as well as International Studies at IU. My experience studying Spanish has provided me with many opportunities, including being able to study abroad two more times.

After my sophomore year, I participated in the Spanish and Portuguese Department's summer program in the Dominican Republic. Once again, my passion for speaking Spanish and engaging with new cultures was being fueled. I made wonderful connections with my host family and other IU students while improving my Spanish language skills.

Finally, I was able to spend a semester in Madrid, Spain during the spring of my junior year. This is an experience that I will never forget and I am so grateful that IU and my love for Spanish led me to Madrid. One memory that I will forever cherish from my time abroad was my volunteer experience at a nonprofit organization in Madrid called Fundación Balia. I got to work with at-risk youth and tutor them in English. It was a challenging and rewarding experience to work with the madrileño community. This cultural exchange motivated me to pursue a career in global service after graduation. In May I will be heading to Ecuador to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. This would not have been possible without the opportunities that I have been afforded at IU to improve my Spanish and gain international experience. I am excited to continue doing what I love most: speaking Spanish!

Undergraduate Perspective:
Alyssa Smith

Though I began hearing the language from a young age, mainly while sitting in my grandmother's small, Brooklyn apartment while she crouched over the stove perfecting her Panamanian tostones, I did not start learning Spanish formally until I got to high school.It seemed nobody enjoyed high school Spanish--the thought of memorizing irregular subjunctive and differentiating between the preterite and imperfect was terrifying for most.However, I grew to love the intricacies of the language and gained a strong appreciation for my own culture and other cultures that speak Spanish. When I arrived at Indiana University, I was ready to take a deep dive into Spanish, with hopes of gaining fluency.

Now, as a recent graduate with majors in International Studies, Spanish, and a certificate through the Liberal Arts Management Program, I reflect on the opportunities I had throughout my undergraduate career, thanks to IU.In Spring of 2018, I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. By the end of the semester, I was able to use my Spanish to navigate the extensive subway system, merienda with my host mom, and to conduct research in the city.I also volunteered with Global Brigades (an international sustainable development organization) in Panama and Nicaragua.My language skills allowed me to better listen to the community's concerns and to ask questions of the Global Brigades staff and community members.

I appreciate my IU Spanish professors who have opened up a space where I feel comfortable and confident to discuss pressing issues in today's society. Whether I am discussing el capitalismo or el patriarcado, I know I have the vocabulary to back up my arguments in both English and Spanish.

Undergraduate Perspective:
Victoria Updike

I have been hoping and working toward Spanish proficiency and a degree since my first Spanish class in elementary school. I still remember the joy I felt when I first began to speak sentences in another language. I've always known I wanted Spanish to be part of my IU experience, and my opportunities with the Spanish and Portuguese Department fulfilled this even more than I imagined.

My schoolteacher mother had the foresight to enroll me in independent Spanish lessons as early as kindergarten. I chose to continue pursuing high-level Spanish courses in high school, also spending the summer of 2013 in Ciudad Real, Spain, with the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages. In spring 2018, I studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain through IU's program, finishing my Hispanic Studies degree. It was one of the best experiences of my entire life.

Before experiencing language immersion, you rationally understand in your mind that there are whole countries full of people living their lives every single day. But when you get the rare opportunity to physically experience that reality, you get to see the world on a deeper level. You meet people whom you never would have met. You have conversations that open your mind and show you your own misconceptions, teach you, and unlock the true comprehension that each passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, and the realization of how little of the universe you've seen — and the intense craving for more of that universe. Madrid and Spain itself offered so many of those moments.

I wouldn't have these cherished experiences or be the person I am today without former instructors and alumni Moses Fritz, Ángel Milla Muñoz, and Rosa Piqueres-Gilbert, or Professor Alejandro Mejías-López, who always encourages me to grow and learn as much as I can.

As a future nonprofit public relations professional, Spanish proficiency will allow me to reach various publics that would be inaccessible without a working knowledge of Spanish. My preferred state of being is to be immersed in this beautiful language, and I hope to return to Spain as soon as I can.

Honors and Awards

Our outstanding undergraduates continue to be recognized for their academic excellence and supported in their intellectual and professional endeavors, as this long list of achievements attests.  Congratulations to all of our students!

Palmer-Brandon Scholarship in the Humanities
(highly prestigious campus-wide award that recognizes students who are in the top 1% of undergraduates in their fields in terms of academic achievement, intellectual ability, and demonstrated commitment to the humanities)
Megan Kudla (BA Hispanic Studies/ English, BFA Dance)
Haley Wilson (BA Hispanic Studies/Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)

Fulbright Fellowship Awardees
Megan Diekhoff, to travel, live, study and work abroad in Colombia next academic year.
Jaclyn Flores to travel, live, study and work in Brazil next academic year.
Amanda Tolen to travel, live, study and work in Spain next academic year.

IU Board of Aeons (selected by President McRobbie)
Kathryn Petersen
Neha Srinivasan

Senior Awards
(prestigious, campus-wide senior recognition awards for excellence)

Elvis J. Stahr Award
Kaitlynn Milvert

Kate Hevner Mueller Award
Molly Cunningham
Megan Diekhoff
Zoe King
Sophia Muston

Clara Javan Goodbody Award
Alexandra Embry

FLAS Scholarships
Kathryn Petersen, to study Arabic
Neha Srinivasan, to study Quechua

Departmental Honors and Awards

Graduated with Department Honors
Jaclyn Flores, Spanish, advisor Erik Willis
Sara Hardman, Spanish, advisor Patricia Amaral
Andrew Killion, Spanish, advisor Patricia Amaral

Ashley Crouse Scholarship
Patricia Cornejo, for summer study in Peru.
Melissa Fronczek, for her study abroad program this summer in Alcalá, Spain.
Hannah Huth for her study abroad program this summer in Alcalá, Spain.

Pedro Diaz Seijas Scholarship
Julianna Connelly, in support of her study in spring 2019 in Quito, Ecuador.

Rachel DiPietro-James Scholarship
Madeline Everhart, for her summer study in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Theodore Dorf Scholarship
Sarah Carter, in support of her summer study in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Gillian Filler, in support of her service-learning study in the Dominican Republic this summer.
Alicia Harmon, in support of her study in Santiago, Dominican Republic this summer.
Katherine Peterson, for her summer study in Alcalá, Spain.
Olivia Rosario-Hoover, for her summer study in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Dr. Andrew Thieneman Scholarship
Eliza Craig, to pursue study in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Garrett Hughes, in support of his service-learning study in Dominican Republic.
Audrey Ott, for her study abroad program in Alcalá, Spain this summer.

National and State Honor Societies and Awards

Phi Beta Kappa Inductees

Sigma Delta Pi Electees

2018 AATSP Indiana Outstanding College Students of Spanish