It has been a while since I’ve last updated my blog. The 2018-2019 academic year has been a bit of a whirlwind for me. I prepped an entirely new community-based class (SPAN 308 “Spanish in the Community”); I planned, prepared, and executed a 3-week study abroad trip to Barcelona; I was invited to give a standalone presentation at Brigham Young University in March; I’ve coordinated with my colleagues in Dragoncillo to visit local elementary and middle schools in El Paso, Texas and share some insights into Spain’s Golden Age, including two shadow-puppet performances of two entremeses; I’ve held down the departmental fort as the sole Spanish professor during the spring semester (my colleague took a much deserved sabbatical); and I’ve generously been nominated as a finalist for four different awards at Buena Vista University.
First, I was delighted to hear that the BVU community selected me as a finalist to receive the George W. Wythe award. As the university’s highest honor for teaching, this prize is unique—a $30,000 cash stipend and a semester-long sabbatical for professional development or research. I am excited to find myself among four equally qualified and esteemed colleagues for this prestigious award.
Second, I was informed by the student body president that the undergraduates at BVU have selected me as a finalist to win the faculty member of the year award. Since this is a student-led effort, I am especially grateful to know that the students I teach hold such a high opinion of my professorial efforts inside and outside the classroom.
Third, BVU’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion kindly shared with me that I am a finalist for the Faculty & Staff Diversity and Inclusion award. After carefully preparing my Spanish in the Community class in the fall with a deliberate focus on the needs of the Spanish-speaking individuals in Storm Lake, I am honored to receive this recognition.
Fourth, my dean nominated me for the New Century Faculty Development Award for Research. I visited Brigham Young University during BVU’s spring break and shared a presentation on two comedias that Albert Camus translated (Calderón’s La devoción de la cruz and Lope’s El caballero de Olmedo). I’ve always been drawn to Camus’s philosophy. When I discovered his interest in the comedia, I knew I had my next research topic. Between that presentation and the project I recently embarked on with Dragoncillo, I suppose my dean felt that either project deserved nomination for this award. I’m grateful for the support.
I’m not certain if I will receive any of these awards. I am tremendously grateful to be nominated in the first place and am excited to hear the results. In the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.