HISPANIC STUDIES NEWSLETTER
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STUDENT AWARDS 2008
We are very pleased to announce the student awards for 2008.
KELLI SEVERINO
María Luisa Osorio Prize, 2008
Kelli Severino, this year’s recipient of the Maria Luisa Osorio Prize, perfectly represents the qualities this prize was created to celebrate: academic excellence and a commitment to gender and social issues.
In every class she has taken in the Hispanic Studies Department, Kelli’s academic performance has been consistently excellent. Her fascination with “how language works, particularly how Spanish grammar differs from English grammar,” has fueled her outstanding performance in linguistics classes. She has displayed an abiding engagement with gender equality issues in her course work in Hispanic Studies as well. Kelli’s recent fine paper on Rigoberta Menchú grappled with the most recent academic treatments of the topics of autobiography and testimonio literatures, and sensitively discussed the issues of gender equality in Latin America which the text raises.
Kelli’s concerns for social equality are not confined the classroom. She has, with her parents, been a baseball coach for many years, coaching teams of adolescent boys from Boston’s inner city. She has served as both a coach and a mentor to her players, helping them with issues on and off the field. Kelli and her parents have helped the boys navigate the college application and financial aid processes, and in 2004 coached a team which won a state-wide championship. Kelli says “In the future I hope to continue coaching youth sports and working with inner-city youth to keep them off the streets.”
Kelli hopes to become a high school Spanish teacher in the Boston area. She has already applied to two Masters programs, and will be pursuing a Masters of Arts in Spanish and a Master of Arts in Teaching. This vocation is a natural choice for her to continue with her academic interests and commitment to helping youths. The Department of Hispanic Studies is very proud of her and know that she will make a lasting contribution to whatever community she serves, as she has already made to the academic and cultural life of UMB.
SARAH CACICIO
Clara Estow Prize in Hispanic Studies, 2008
It is no coincidence that Sarah Cacicio enrolled as a full-time student at UMass Boston in 2005, without ever having seen the campus, despite a whimsical path to her college education. Sarah grew up just North of Boston and at seventeen, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance, but quickly discovered she was not cut out for the cut-throat profession. At the time, she had a peculiar poster hanging in her bedroom. It had been given to her by a very influential high school Spanish teacher, and read: “¿Ha visto Ud. España?” Sarah had not in fact, seen Spain, and without further consideration, she moved in with a family in Salamanca to study language and culture at the University of Salamanca, Spain. She came home ready to pursue an academic career in Hispanic Studies.
Over the last three years, Sarah Cacicio has maintained a full-time curriculum, a full-time waitressing job, a place in the University Honors Program, and a perfect 4.00 GPA. She is also one of the founding editors for the student-run magazine Lux. In 2008, Sarah was awarded the Merit Scholarship from the UMass Boston Academic Recognition Fund. She is the first recipient of the Clara Estow Prize.
By awarding Sarah the Clara Estow Prize, the department of Hispanic Studies recognizes her excellent academic record and her original work on three contemporary Spanish novels and how they deal with the memory of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and the post-war dictatorship (1939-75). Sarah’s work is thoughtful, timely, rigorous and creative. She is a careful reader and an excellent writer. She credits her success to several professors at UMass Boston, who have inspired and encouraged her to develop an independent way of learning, and of living. Sarah hopes to someday teach and translate Spanish Literature. This coming year, she will work as a language and cultural assistant in a Spanish Public School. After which, armed with a new inspiring poster of Spain, she will return to the U.S to pursue graduate studies.
KEISHA SLAUGHTER
Susan Schneider Prize in Latin American Studies 2008
Keisha Slaughter is this year’s recipient of the Latin American Studies Program’s Susan Schneider Prize, awarded to the graduating program concentrator with the highest Grade Point Average. Keisha arrived at UMass Boston with an interest in the history and cultures of Latin America and she attributes important personal and academic discoveries to her pursuit of those interests. She took an Intermediate Seminar that explored Latin American cuisines and culture, thoroughly enjoyed the topic, and emerged a stronger writer. A semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina fulfilled her dream of studying abroad. She found that a course in Latin American film prepared her for an immersion course in Mexican politics. As she completes her Latin American Studies concentration with a course on human rights, she has come to the realization that she has gained “an intense appreciation and understanding of Latin America, past and present.” She has also discovered that her “true passion” lies in international studies and she hopes to pursue graduate studies in this area, possibly with a focus on immigration. Keisha’s arrival at this realization through her study of Latin America honors the memory of Susan Schneider. The Latin American Studies Program congratulates Keisha on her academic achievements and also on the way she has integrated her liberal arts education with her life and career goals.
Graduating Students
Congratulations to all graduating majors!
Spanish
Patrick Brand
Fabiana Buchanan
Sarah Cacicio
Gloria Castro
Pamela Cataldo
Emily Costello
Gwendolyn Mackay
Yuderkis Melo
Kelli Severino
Meaghan Tansey
Latin American Studies
Victor Atehortua
Patrick Ayers
Elton Shyti
Keisha Slaughter
PROFESSOR CLARA ESTOW RETIRES
After four decades dedicated to UMASS, Boston, Professor Clara Estow is retiring. The Department of Hispanic Studies, the College of Liberal Arts and the University as a whole will miss Professor Estow.
Professor Estow began teaching at UMB in 1968. During the last four decades she has helped train multiple generations of students and faculty, holding them to the highest standards of academic rigor and, in turn, garnering accolades for teaching effectiveness as well as for her mentorship. She has consistently received excellent student evaluations and praise for her knowledge, success in encouraging students to excel, and generous and steady guidance. Many alumni credit her for inspiring them to pursue post graduate studies and professional careers. She has shown extraordinary range and flexibility, accepting teaching assignments at all levels, from first-year courses to post-graduate seminars. Her teaching has been a model of commitment to student learning, outstanding command of course material, professionalism, and consistency.
Professor Estow has maintained an active scholarly program. A specialist in Castilian medieval history, she is the author of two books and multiple articles and reviews, which have appeared in prestigious venues. Her high academic profile is evident in her frequent participation in national and international academic conferences. She has also served on the editorial board of a major journal and refereed scholarship and personnel cases at all levels. She is currently completing an ambitious book project on gold in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, which EJ Brill has expressed interest in publishing. Her scholarly achievements will continue to enhance the reputation of the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
Professor Estow’s service record is similarly extensive and noteworthy. She has been one of the University’s leaders. She has been repeatedly selected by her peers to represent them in the campus’ most significant committees and governance structures, including multiple terms as chair of Hispanic Studies, membership in collegiate and university-wide committees, College of Liberal Arts Senate, and University Faculty Council, and the Faculty Union. She chaired the University Faculty Council for two consecutive terms, during a rather difficult period of transition, for which she received praise and appreciation. Her dedicated work on behalf of the university community reflects a deep-seated commitment to and identification with the values and missions of UMB. Professor Estow’s record of leadership within the department of Hispanic Studies has had an enormous impact. Clara Estow leads by example. Furthermore, her work as a mentor for junior and mid-career faculty has greatly contributed to attracting and retaining young, dedicated, and gifted teachers and researchers to UMB.
Professor Estow’s tireless, generous and inspiring work on behalf of UMass Boston has been outstanding, and her departure will be deeply felt. We can only hope that she will continue helping us guide this institution into the future.
Prof. Reyes Coll-Tellechea, Chair
STUDENT NEWS
2007 STUDENT AWARDS
JERUSA CARVAJAL
The Department of Hispanic Studies is proud to announce that Jerusa Carvajal has received the Departmental Distinction. Jerusa's GPA is an astonishing 4.0. Jerusa has been accepted in several graduate schools and will start her M.A. studies in Latin American Literature at Western Michigan University next Fall.
ELSA LARSON
Elsa Larson, this year´s recipient of the Maria Luisa Osorio Prize, is the quintessence of the qualities this prize was created to celebrate: chiefly academic excellence and a commitment to social justice and gender equality. Among Elsa’s many accomplishments at UMass Boston is her achieving one of this year’s highest grade point averages in the major, a distinction rendered especially unique since she chose to complete both the literature and the language tracks of the Spanish major, the first student to do so in the last twenty years. Equally distinguished was her pursuit of the Latin American Studies Concentration and minor in Anthropology.
Elsa’s social conscience developed in high school, at Fontbonne Academy, where she participated in the school’s Association for Diversity in Action and the International Club. At UMB, her broad range of interests and passion led her to the Latin American Studies Program and the study of language and culture. At our campus, her engagement went beyond her course work; she was among the group of students who founded the Latin American Studies Student Organization, serving as its third president. In recognition of her commitment, she was nominated for an Honorary Student membership to the New England Council of Latin American Studies.
Upon her graduation in December 2006, Elsa was offered the first job she applied for, as coordinator of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program at Mass General Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Igor Palacios, an eminent Venezuelan cardiologist. She modestly credits this important achievement to the excellent training in language and culture she received at UMass Boston.
Whether she chooses to pursue a PhD in Latin American Studies or a law degree, Elsa will certainly continue to distinguish herself and devote her considerable intelligence and passion to the pursuit of worthy and socially-minded goals.
ALAN SMITH
Alan Smith is this year’s recipient of the Latin American Studies Program’s Susan Schneider Prize, awarded to the graduating program concentrator with the highest Grade Point Average. Alan recalls that two courses on Central American societies and politics originally sparked his interest in the region, “in particular the people.” He brought a passionate commitment to social justice and a real engagement with other cultures to his studies. With his characteristic energy, Alan translated his interests into action and traveled extensively in Mexico and Guatemala. Most recently, he bicycled solo around Cuba, “taking part in the lives of the people.” Alan’s academic interests also affirm his sense of global citizenship. He recently completed his TEFL and intends to travel and teach English throughout the world, first in Italy, where he plans to pursue a master’s degree.
Congratulations for a job well done, Jerusa, Elsa and Alan! The Department of Hispanic Studies wishes you all the best in your professional careers.
GRADUATING MAJORS
A number of our majors and concentrators in Latin American Studies are graduating. We would like to thank them all for their work in the past years, and wish them the best in their careers. Let's keep in touch!
MAJOR IN SPANISH
Jerusa Carvajal
Elsa Larson
Christine Terry
Eileen Soto
I-Fang Chen
Maria Pena
James Hohmann
Claudia Ortiz
Penny Price
Brittany Syer
Robert Brown
Adrian Gonzalez
Amanda Davidson
Dilma Moreno
CONCENTRATION IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
Alan Smith June
Elsa Larson December
Selene Garcia De Kapoor December
Eileen Soto June
Trisa Stevens August
2006 STUDENT AWARDS
LUCILLE RIZZO KOOYOOMJIAN
Spanish Prize, the highest grade point average as a Spanish Major, 2005-2006
A native of Waltham, Massachusetts, Lucie Kooyoomjian traveled extensively during her childhood with her military family. After graduating from high school where, as a senior, she received the outstanding Spanish student award, she worked as an administrative assistant for several years before entering college. Lucille graduated summa cum laude from Boston College in 1982 with a B.A. in Accounting and received licensure as a certified public accountant in Massachusetts. Lucille has spent the last fourteen years as the chief financial officer and manager of business affairs at two area independent schools.
Aspiring to return to her passion for studying Romance languages and cultures, Lucie entered the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2003 to pursue her dream of becoming a Spanish language teacher. She and her husband George are the proud parents of two daughters, Candace and Leigh, and grandparents of George Thomas born in January.
AUTUMN KYCIA
Maria Luisa Osorio Prize, 2005-2006
Autumn Kycia arrived in Boston in August 2002, and began her studies at UMB in the Fall of 2002. Over the next four years she held multiple jobs -kitchen attendant, waitress, retailer, and reader for a legally blind person- while studying full time and being part of the University’s Honors Program. In 2006, she was awarded the University’s Louise Bronner Endowed Prize.
By awarding Autumn the Maria Luisa Osorio Prize, the Department of Hispanic Studies recognizes her original contribution to the study of the life of one of Spain’s most intriguing yet forgotten women, Constancia de la Mora Maura. Autumn’s undergraduate thesis centers on the life and work of Constancia, about whom almost nothing has been written and/or published to date. The silence surrounding her life and death is the same silence that still surrounds the lives of those who lost the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In Autumn’s own words, “It is an area full of fascinating people and many of their stories have yet to be told.”
Reconstructing and studying those stories is not an easy task. Over the past year, this patient, passionate and resourceful student has pursued, collected, and studied little bits of evidence of Constancia’s life scattered around the world, such as letters, pictures, pamphlets, diaries, and newspapers. She has also tracked down and interviewed roommates, relatives and friends of Constancia in Spain, Mexico and the U.S. The result is a fascinating project that will accompany Autumn Kycia to graduate school and beyond.
SHERLIE VICIERE
Latin American Studies Program Susan Schneider Prize, 2005-2006
Sherlie Viciere is this year’s recipient of the Latin American Studies Program’s Susan Schneider Prize, awarded to the graduating program concentrator with the highest Grade Point Average. Shortly after Sherlie arrived at UMass, Boston, her growing interest in cultural and historical studies let her to declare an African Studies major and a concentration in Latin American Studies.
Sherlie chose this academic path not only as a way to learn about other cultures but also as a quest for her own identity as a person of African descent and a Haitian. In her own words, her studies at UMass took her understanding “beyond the surface” of the societies, cultures, and politics of Cuba, Mexico and Costa Rica, which she also was able to visit. Over the course of her undergraduate career, Sherlie has served the Haitian community through her work tutoring for the Community University Project. As a participant in the National Student Exchange Program, she studied Latin American and African American history and literature at Florida International University.
Sherlie has written that in following her heart, she pursued an education that raised her level of consciousness about the world around her and that she has indeed attained a greater understanding of her self, her origins, and what she is capable to becoming. Sherlie hopes to pursue an advanced degree in Caribbean/Latin American Studies, possibly in Development and Diaspora Studies, with the goal of putting her knowledge to the service of her community and country of birth, Haiti. We are confident that in next stages of her quest Sherlie will honor the memory of Susan Schneider through continued learning and commitment to social justice.