Month: June 2022

The Commission on Latino Affairs and Commission on the Black Experience recently held the inaugural Black & Latinx Faculty Writing Retreat, which took place May 18^th – 20^th at the Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, NC.

The three-day retreat, which brought together eighteen faculty participants, was co-organized by Harrison Pinckney, Assistant Professor of PRTM (Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management) and Arelis Moore de Peralta, Associate Professor of Community Health (Languages) and chair of the faculty empowerment for the Commission on Latino Affairs, with the goal of creating a productive, collaborative writing environment where Black and Latinx faculty could share ideas, support one another in the writing process, and participate in three days of focused writing. In addition to allotted focused writing time, the retreat provided opportunities for attendees to share their writing progress and challenges in Quality Review Circles, receive constructive criticism and culturally and contextually relevant feedback from peers, participate in a discussion with representatives from the Provost Office, and attend a panel on effective grant writing.

Along with providing a supportive space for making tangible progress on writing projects, the retreat allowed faculty participants to build a community with a truly unique and encouraging aim. Through events such as a barbeque, games centered on African American culture, and other social gatherings, participants were able to make valuable connections with colleagues which will continue to enhance and enrich their Clemson faculty experience through a new sense of community.

This distinctive and impressive new event is an exciting example of how Clemson University can support growth and community for Black and Latinx faculty while increasing productivity and fostering an encouraging and supportive community. We are thrilled to share these experiences and look forward to future events.

For more information on the Clemson University Commision on Latino Affairs and the Commission on the Black Experience, please see the commissions’ profiles on Clemson University’s Commissions page.

Department of Languages senior Natalie Ann Claypool received the Norris Medal at the University’s Spring Awards Ceremony on May 9, 2022.

The Norris Medal, which is awarded to the best overall student as determined by the University Scholarships and Awards Committee, is considered the most prestigious award for graduating Clemson seniors. Recipients of the award have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional leadership, academic, and personal qualities as the top scholar in their graduating class.

Natalie is a Language and International Health major with a concentration in Spanish. Her studies have also included four Creative Inquiry projects across different disciplines, which have allowed her to pursue ambitious research projects in sexual health, child development, public health, and education inequality. Some of her work has been published in academic journals, including a piece co-authored with Associate Professor of Spanish and Community Health Arelis Moore de Peralta which explores the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Latinx children.

Natalie’s studies and research projects have led to an interest in combatting education inequality in the local community. Natalie combined her passion for education and community service by co-founding the Youth Scholars Program at Pendleton Elementary School with interim associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies Mathew LeMahieu, The Youth Scholars Program seeks to motivate and inspire young students about their educational futures. Natalie’s outstanding commitment to service and betterment of the community, in particular for vulnerable children, will continue after graduation. She will be completing a year-long fellowship at Casa de Esperanza in Houston, where she will work with abused, neglected and HIV-positive children.

Natalie plans to graduate in August after completing her final undergraduate semester studying abroad at Universidad Blas Pascal in Córdoba, Argentina.

The Department of Languages congratulates this exceptional and inspirational scholar as her journey continues.

For more information about Natalie and her incredible achievements, please see the Clemson News release.