Tag: Students

As we come to the end of another exciting semester, the Department of Languages is excited to share some of the highlights from the Department in Fall 2024.

Inaugural Semester of “Passport” Living and Learning Community

The new student Living and Learning Community (LLC), Passport, has completed the first semester of its inaugural year. Clemson’s Living and Learning Communities give students a way of navigating college life with a cohort of peers with shared interests and goals. An idea spearheaded by Faculty Sponsor and Principal Lecturer Ellory Schmucker (Languages), the Passport LLC brings together first-year students who share an interest in languages to live, learn, and grow together in a diverse, engaging residential community.

This semester, Passport, which is housed in Gressette residence hall, hosted 16 students from an array of diverse backgrounds and academic concentrations with the aim of creating a multilingual residential space for students to immerse themselves in languages and cultures from around the world. Their common interest in languages coupled with their diverse backgrounds and academic interests enable them to experience a supportive and active community eager to learn from and with one another.

Department of Languages Hosts 51^st Annual Poetry Declamation Contest

The Department of Languages hosted the 51^st Annual Poetry Declamation Contest on October 27, 2024.

Begun in 1971, the annual Declamation Contest brings together high school students from schools across South Carolina and Georgia to compete in a poetry recitation in their languages of study. This year, contests were held in eight languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Students of all levels may take part in the contest, ranging from absolute beginner to native speaker. This year, over 360 students and 26 schools participated in the event.

During the contest, students recited two poems from memory in the target language: a mandatory selection and their choice of a second selection. They were judged by a panel of judges comprised of Department of Languages faculty and guest judges from the community. After the contest, students, teachers, and parents attended an awards ceremony in Daniel Hall during which Dean Vazsonyi and the members of the Declamation committee presented contests winners with their respective medals.

The Declamation Contest is one of the Department of Languages’ longest standing and most exciting traditions. It continues to be a way to give high school language teachers and students a goal to work toward in their classes, as well as to give students a chance to visit and learn about Clemson University in person by taking a campus tour. The event is made possible by the contributions of current and former faculty, student volunteers, and community judges, as well as the hard work of the Declamation committee: Su-I Chen, Lee Ferrell, Stephanie Morris, Amy Sawyer, Julia Schmidt, and Melva Persico.

7^th Annual Day of the Dead Celebration Held on Clemson Campus

The Department of Languages once more participated in the 7^th Annual Day of the Dead celebration on November 1.

Typically observed on November 1 or 2, the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a celebration of life originating in Mexico and now celebrated throughout Latin America and the United States. It is a time for friends, family, and community to come together to celebrate and honor the lives and memories of departed loved ones.

Clemson’s Day of the Dead event aims to share the joyous Día de los Muertos traditions with the Clemson community and growing Latino communities throughout the upstate.

Day of the Dead celebrations typically include colorful symbols such as marigolds (cempasúchitles), skeletons (calacas), and altars (ofrendas) where family members can honor departed loved ones with photos and offerings of food and drink. Traditional foods include the bread of the dead (pan de muerto) and sugar skulls (calaveras de azúcar).

As in previous years, this year’s Day of the Dead event featured traditional food trucks, face painting, a mariachi band, an outdoor screening of the film “Coco,” and an elegant “Catrina”, a skeleton in traditional dress.

The Clemson Day of the Dead celebration is organized and sponsored by several departments, organizations, faculty, students, and individuals from across Clemson and the wider Clemson community. The Department of Languages thanks in particular Nora Logue, Arelis Moore, Rosa Pillcurima, Anne Salces y Nedeo, Debra Williamson (Languages) and Jessica Garcia (CAAH) for their invaluable contributions to the event’s organization and success since its inception in 2018.

The Department of Languages is proud to acknowledge two LIH graduates, Madeleine Wolfe and Rund Adelnabi, both recently featured in Clemson News.

Both Madeleine and Rund will be receiving degrees in Language and International Health with a Spanish concentration. Their unique passions and talents have led them both in different and equally impressive directions.

Madeleine plans to focus her future efforts on combatting the health disparities that arise in rural communities. She has already had a positive and tangible impact on the local community. During her time at Clemson, she earned her EMS certification and has been working as an EMT with the Clemson University Fire Department. Her unique background in cybersecurity as related to healthcare systems combined with her research with Clemson Rural Health no doubt will allow Madeleine to continue making her mark as she heads off to medical school.

Rund’s approach is more language-driven. Fluent in three languages, Rund seeks to help Arabic and Spanish speakers access and navigate the complexities of the public healthcare system. Her firsthand experience working in a public health center in Argentina while completing her study abroad program gave her valuable experience in forging meaningful patient relationships, and her goal of becoming a physician’s assistant will allow her to integrate her talents, skills, and passion to make a difference in the experiences and lives of patients in the future.

The Department of Languages heartily congratulates these talented and impressive graduates as they take the next steps in their healthcare journey!

The Department of Languages is excited to congratulate our 2023 Student Award Recipients:

Eli Bechtel – Dr. Patricia Walker Wannamaker Language & International Trade Annual Award of Excellence

Kathryn “Kate” Henry – Hagan Language and International Health Award for Excellence

Sara Miller – Ann and Lamar Bayne Award for Excellence in American Sign Language

Eli Bechtel – Clemson Chinese Laoshi Awards – Best Achievement

Joseph Imbo – Clemson Chinese Laoshi Awards – Best Beginner

Courtney Glassburn – Jordan A. Dean, Sr. Annual Award in French Studies

Victoria Ann Dupre – John Bednar Award of Excellence in LAIB/French

Emily Cosgrove – Carlton Moore ’93 Excellence in German

Katelyn Franck – Draexlmaier Language Award for Excellence in German

Austyn Sierra Barjona – JAASC Harry Watanabe Award in Excellence in Japanese

Lexie Colwell – Joan Bridgwood Award for Excellence in Russian

Robert Chase Mitchum – Roger K. Simpson ’76 Annual Memorial Award for Excellence in Spanish

Congratulations to all on their outstanding achievements!

21 Department of Languages students earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an international credential which recognizes a candidate’s proficiency in two or more languages. Proficiency is recognized on working, functional, and professional levels. This semester, the Global Seal of Biliteracy was awarded to students representing Spanish (19), French (1), and Japanese (1).

The students earning the Global Seal of Biliteracy in Fall 2021 are:

Rachel Amaral, Elise Blackburn, Kevin Burgess, Vanessa Campos, Kathleen Champagne, Natalie Claypool, Olivia Cloud, Jack Edmondson, Juliana Franco, Gabrielle Garringer, William Gioffre, Yana Gudakova, Bria Martin, Haden McCarter, Audrey Ramey, Amy Rees, José Rodriguez, Evangeline Sanders, Ella Starr, Jordan Tedder, and Anna Vicente.

The Department of Languages is extremely proud of these exceptional students and congratulates them on their impressive achievement!

On Friday, April 9, the College of Arts and Humanities held its annual awards ceremony to honor the exceptional achievements of CAAH students.

The in-person ceremony, which was initiated with live music performed by the Clemson University String Quartet, was attended by the honorees, CAAH Faculty, Chairs of the Departments, Dean Nicholas Vazsonyi, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Elysse Newman.

The Department of Languages awarded seven outstanding students:

Amanda White (Ann and Lamar Bayne Award for Excellence in American Sign Language), William Taylor (Award for Excellence in Spanish), Nikita Tran (JAASC Award in Excellence in Japanese), Sydney Tindall (Clemson Chinese Laoshi Awards for Best Achievement), Lauren Cvitkovic (Language and International Health Award for Excellence), Jessica Cole (Jordan A. Dean, Sr. Annual Award in French Studies), and Meredith Harley (Patricia Walker Wannamaker Language and International Trade Award for Highest Merit).

Congratulations to these exceptional students on their commendable achievements!

Five Department of Languages majors have been nominated for membership in the Clemson University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and among the most prestigious academic honor societies in the United States.

Founded in 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa honor society recognizes outstanding students of Liberal Arts and Sciences who not only demonstrate excellence in their fields of study but excellence in other branches of liberal arts along with a strong moral character.

The Department of Languages inductees are Gabrielle Garringer (Language and Intl Business), Mara MacDonald (Language and Intl Business), Olivia Moran (Language and Intl Business), Alexandra Karnes (Language and Intl Trade), and Mari Lentini (Language and Intl Trade).

The induction ceremony will be virtual and will take place later this semester.

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

With Spring Semester 2021 now underway, it is exciting to reflect on some of the ways the Department of Languages students, faculty and alumni have been navigating these unusual times. Fall Semester 2020 brought with it many unique experiences and ways to stay engaged and make connections. In our “Fall 2020 Reflections” posts, we are excited to take a look at specific events, opportunities and accomplishments that we saw last semester and which set the stage for even more exciting opportunities this Spring and beyond.

OCTOBER 2020

The German Professional Society organized an alumni business panel on Thursday, October 22nd. This online panel discussion was held in lieu of the regular annual German Professional Conference.

Moderated by GPS President James Bradham (Mechanical Engineering), the panel welcomed alumni Alexia (Andrews) Herberg (German and Political Science), Adidas Herzogenaurach; Anne (Murken ) Meyer (German and International Business), Hochschule Bremen; Brian Wright (German and Mechanical Engineering),  BMW, Greer, SC; Austin Jordan (German and International Business ) Bosch-Rexroth,  Simpsonville, SC; Matthew Allen (German and Physics), German-American Chamber of Commerce, New York

The event provided current students of German and others an opportunity to learn from our alumni about transitioning into the workplace, opportunities available with language skills and a chance to network with our former students now living and working in the US and abroad.

Madison Butler, a 2015 graduate of the Language and International Health program, has received a Spain English Teaching Assistantship from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, a prestigious exchange program offered by the U.S. Department of State and funded by the U.S. government, is awarded to student scholars who, through work and study opportunities and individual research projects in various participating countries, have the opportunity to facilitate cross-cultural understanding by interacting with and fully immersing in the language, culture, and society of the host country.

Madison will be teaching English in Spain as a Teaching Assistant for elementary, middle, or high school level students.

Four other Clemson students and one alumnus were also accepted to the 2020-2021 Fulbright program.

For more information about these outstanding students, see the announcement from the Newsstand.

Language and International Health major Courtney Grayson was awarded the Dre Martin Service Award by the College of Arts and Humanities as CAAH recognized its top students last month. The Dre Martin Service Award, founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin, is awarded annually to an exemplary CAAH student who, in addition to strong academic distinction, displays a commitment to service in the community and demonstrates a passion for helping others.

Courtney, who is an L&IH major with a minor in animal and veterinary sciences, is a committed and enthusiastic student who has been able to combine her academic excellence with her passion for helping others, using her skills and compassion to make a difference in the greater Clemson community and beyond. As a student of the L&IH program, she has studied the Spanish language while gaining practical knowledge of healthcare and public health. She studied abroad in Argentina, where she had the opportunity to work rotations at a local hospital and apply the Spanish-language skills and health knowledge acquired as a student of the L&IH program to serve the local community in Argentina. Courtney has also been actively involved in the greater Clemson community, volunteering as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at a local free clinic for the past two years.

Within the Clemson community, Courtney has volunteered at Tiger Town Animal Hospital as well as with America Reads, tutoring elementary school students in reading. She has also demonstrated her commitment to service through her support of the Clemson community at large and her engagement with the campus Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA). Dr. Arelis Moore de Peralta says of Courtney’s merits and volunteer work that she has “demonstrated a true commitment to the Clemson community, which she has impacted through her volunteerism and advocacy as an interpreter for low-income Hispanic patients, as an animal healer, as a tutor to increase elementary children’s success, and as a queer community’s advocate.”

Courtney plans to pursue a career in the public health sector serving vulnerable and underserved communities in the United States.

 

About the Dre Martin Service Award

The Dre Martin Service Award was founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin. A graduate of the Language and International Health program, Dre is remembered a dedicated student who was constantly serving others at the university and in the community at large. This award seeks to recognize extraordinary CAAH students that embody this selfless commitment to others. Students may be nominated by a peer, a faculty member or a staff member.

On December 5, 2019, the Clemson University German Section reactivated the German Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha, by inducting three exceptional students.

Rachael Risinger is a senior Accounting major and German minor who is currently the president of the German Professional Society. Bennett Meares is a senior Computer Science major and German minor who is a former German Club president and is currently preparing to study abroad in Landshut, Germany. Houston Everett is a junior Computer Science major and German minor who is currently the president of the German Club. All three students have contributed immensely to the German program both inside and outside of the classroom and are great examples for achieving success as German students at Clemson University.

Congratulations to all!