College of Charleston’s Chapter of National Collegiate Hispanic Society Wins National Award

For the 8th time since 2011, the College of Charleston’s Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, has been selected as an Honor Chapter for its noteworthy activities during the academic year.  Of the 625 chapters nationwide, the Executive Committee selects 12-15 Honor Chapters yearly for this prestigious distinction.  In July 2019, the College of Charleston was one of only 16 institutions to receive this honor for activities realized during the 2018-19 academic year, during which time Drs. Susan Divine and Carmen Grace served as chapter advisers, and Adriana Velasquez (’19) as student chapter president.

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus: April 2019

A double major in Spanish and International Studies with a minor in Linguistics (’19), Jenna McLaughlin is also a member of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and she served as a Spanish Peer Teacher (2016), a CofC Spanish Tutor (2016-17), Secretary for the Special Needs Peer Helper (2015), and Team Captain for Relay for Life (2015), among other activities.  In the spring of 2018 she studied abroad in Seville, Spain, and in 2016 she traveled to Honduras and Mexico to volunteer as a Spanish/English Interpreter with Torch Missions and Campus Church respectively.  Jenna also worked as a Spanish/English Medical Interpreter at Cahaba Valley Healthcare in Birmingham, AL in 2015.

In her own words:

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Spanish Major at CofC. Spanish has always been one of my favorite subjects, and the professors here at the College really helped me refine my skills and feel completely prepared to study abroad in Seville, Spain. Studying abroad is an enjoyable, empowering, and enlightening experience that I would recommend to any younger student, especially those who are interested in learning about language and culture!

One of my favorite parts about being a Spanish major is the freedom it allows me in my post-grad plans. In these past four years as a Spanish major at College of Charleston, I have had the ability to cultivate a skill that I can take with me in all of my future occupations! Coming into college, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as an occupation, so I’m really thankful that my Spanish major has provided me with the flexibility to take the skill of bilingualism into a variety of areas.

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus, October 2018

Sarah Dixon, a double major in Spanish and Public Health (’19) in the Honors College, is also an official College of Charleston Spanish tutor, peer facilitator, past Student Body Secretary (2017) and Job Coach (2016).  She has also served countless hours as a volunteer in various contexts to include serving the Associate Director of Research and Data Management and the College of Public Health at East Tennessee University (2018), and Angel Oak Family Medicine (2017) in Charleston.  In addition, she has studied abroad in Spain twice: in May 2016 with the College of Charleston’s program in Trujillo, and in spring 2018 with the Universidad de Pablo de Olavide in Seville.

In Sarah’s own words:

I am so grateful for the faculty in the Hispanic Studies department. Each professor I have had in this department has gone the extra mile for me and has pushed me to become who I am today. They encouraged me to study abroad, which I ended up doing twice, and they have supported me in the process of applying for a Fulbright Grant to teach English in Mexico, the Peace Corps, and graduate programs, all at the same time. My future is up in the air right now as I await the decisions from these different entities, but I know I have the support of my professors from the Hispanic Studies Department no matter what!

6th Annual Honor Cords Ceremony of CofC’s Chapter of Nat’l Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society

Sigma Delta Pi Honor Cords Ceremony

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 4:00pm, The College of Charleston’s Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, held its 6th annual Honor Cords Ceremony for graduating members.  Congratulations to the following students for receiving their honor cords:

Marissa Bamonte
Maitland Barton
Olivia Drabiak
William Foody
Bradley C. Harrison
Jolie Hiers
Edwin Hille
Hannah Huizenga
Erin Hynd
Katelynn Joiner
Erin McBrady
Jessica McGorty
Katherine Murchison
Audrey Owensby
McCathern Painter
Sommer Peterman
Julie Robinson
Madison Sherwood
Margaret Queen
Fred West
Haley Womack

 

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus, May 2018

Ana Camila Bailey, a double major in Spanish and Communication ’18, is a member of Global Scholars, Delta Gamma Sorority, and she is an Operations Assistant for the tech startup Casa.  She has also served the Department of Hispanic Studies as a Spanish conversation peer instructor, and she studied abroad twice: in Lisbon, Portugal in fall 2016, and in Córdoba, Argentina during the summer of 2017.  She also worked as a Marketing Intern for Bedkin and Sycer in 2017.

In Camila’s own words:

I attribute so much of my growth as a student to the Hispanic studies department at CofC. The Spanish major is made up of rigorous courses that focus on literature, language, and culture and has shaped my knowledge of the Hispanic world while improving my language and writing skills both in Spanish as well as English. The professors in the department push their students to go beyond merely learning the material, to instead develop a genuine understanding that can be applied to both past and present real world situations. My experience in the Hispanic studies department has re-inspired my love of the language and has given me the drive and confidence to continue this practice in future endeavors. 

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus, April 2018

Le’ah Griggs, a double major in Music Theory/Composition and Spanish ’18, is a member of the College of Charleston’s Concert Choir, the Latin American Ensemble Otro Sur, the Spanish Club, and she serves as Librarian-Student Team Leader for Addlestone Library.  She has also served as the Assistant Director of the Children’s Choir at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, and she is a private piano instructor.  Le’ah spent her spring 2017 semester studying abroad in the College of Charleston’s program in Trujillo, Spain, with support from the Jean and Tap Johnson Study Abroad Award courtesy of the School of the Arts.

In Le’ah’s own words:

The Spanish language and Hispanic studies department at the College of Charleston is a close-knit, engaging, and welcoming community that I am proud to be a part of. Thanks to the dedicated professors and rigorous course work offered by this department, I have drastically improved my Spanish language skills, broadened my knowledge of Hispanic culture on a global scale, and have grown immensely as a person. The most rewarding experience I have gained as a student of Hispanic studies comes from my time abroad in Trujillo, Spain. So much so in fact, that after graduation this Spring, I will be returning to Spain to pursue a Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at the University of Alcalá where I have received a full scholarship. I plan to be a music teacher in a Spanish language immersion school in the future.  

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus, March 2018

Katherine Murchison, double-major in Spanish and International Studies and a minor in Business Administration ’18, is a student of the Honors College, a Harry and Reba Huge Scholar, a William Aiken Fellow, and a CofC International Scholar.  She is currently a member of the S.C. Student Legislature, and she has also served as Student Ambassador for the Alumni Association and as an Ambassador of the Center for International Education, among other activities. She has also studied abroad in Argentina and India.  Currently she works as a Securities Fraud Assistant with Motley Rice LLC in Mt. Pleasant.

In Katherine’s own words:

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to engage with the Spanish language and Hispanic culture so deeply as a student in the Hispanic Studies Department here at the College. One of my most enlightening experiences was a result of my SPAN 400 Service Learning course where I served as an administrative assistant at the Catholic Charities Office of Immigration Services for an entire semester. I loved my work so much that I continued volunteering throughout the summer. This past November, I was offered a fully-funded scholarship to Washington University School of Law where I hope to matriculate and serve as an immigration attorney committed to serving my Hispanic community.

CofC’s Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi Named Honor Chapter for 7th Consecutive Year

The Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, was among 12 of the 613 chapters of Sigma Delta Pi nationwide to receive the Honor Chapter award for outstanding activities executed during the 2016-17 academic year.  This was the 7th consecutive year that the College of Charleston received this prestigious recognition, to coincide with the chapter’s 40th anniversary (1977-2017).  Drs. Susan Divine and Carmen Grace of Hispanic Studies are Nu Zeta’s chapter advisers, and along with past student chapter president Maya Novák-Cogdell, they were instrumental for this national recognition.

Dr. Beck’s SPAN 367 Class Attends Lecture by Addlestone Library Archivist Mary Jo Fairchild

Professor Emily S. Beck’s Spanish 367 class, “Power and Gender in Early Modern Spain,” attended a lecture on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, by Mary Jo Fairchild, Addlestone Library Archivist.

Hispanic Studies Professors Host Annual Regional Linguistics Conference

Drs. Hilary Barnes and Ricard Viñas-de-Puig hosted the annual SLINKI (Spanish Linguistics in North Carolina) / SLISE (Spanish Linguistics in the South East) conference in the Jewish Studies Center of the College of Charleston on February 6, 2016.  The event enjoyed  collaboration from multiple departments, to include several students who presented their research posters:

Tori Akerley, Carmen BensVega, Cinamon Kerr, Falyn Langford, and Anna Maggiari presented ‘Spanish object expression in the SC Lowcountry,’ under the supervision of Dr. Ricard Viñas-de-Puig.

Torrie Buchanan and Keane Costello presented ‘Production of /s/ in medial codas in the Spanish of the SC Lowcountry,’ under the supervision of Dr. Ricard Viñas-de-Puig.

Maya Novak-Cogdell presented ‘Alternatives to gendered personal pronouns in Spanish,’ under the supervision of Dr. Hilary Barnes.

Eric Singleton, Kelsey Vories, and Shannon Wischusen presented  ‘A sociolinguistic analysis of progressive forms in the Spanish of the SC Lowcountry,’ under the supervision of Dr. Ricard Viñas-de-Puig

Finally, Dr. Ricard Viñas-de-Puig presented the paper entitled ‘Ceci n’est pas une négation: Linguistic divergence in expletive negation constructions in Spanish-Catalan bilinguals.’