Here are some of our alums and interns, and what they are doing:

• Kimberly Zamora (2022), BS Exercise Science, Minor Medical Spanish, 1st Year DPT Student [ View Kimberly's Biography ]

  During my first semester at the University of Evansville, I did not originally have my mind set on studying foreign language. I already had a background in Spanish, as my parents are both Spanish-speaking and it is the primary language spoken in our household. However, upon taking my first Spanish course with Professor Crowe, I knew right away that I should take advantage of the great learning opportunities at UE. I believed that I still had much to learn about not only the language itself, but the vast Latin American cultures I had yet to fully explore. Going into the medical field, I also understood the importance of familiarizing myself with medical terminology to communicate with future patients and advocate for them more effectively.
  
  Having the opportunity to take a wide variety of Spanish courses with a focus on medical terminology was an inspiring experience. The Spanish department does an excellent job at providing different learning opportunities throughout their coursework and highly promotes service learning. I was granted the opportunity to be a part of such fulfilling projects such as interpreting for our university’s pro-bono physical therapy clinic, called Ace+PT, where I helped Spanish-speaking patients get quality care on a weekly basis. Additionally, I was a part of a ChangeLab where my classmates and I were able to understand the healthcare needs of the Latino community in Evansville. We sparked important conversations within the community which led to a Covid-19 vaccine pop-up clinic at Holy Rosary Church. I also created a pamphlet about the vaccine’s myths and facts per Ascencion St. Vincent Hospital’s request to help inform more Latino families on how to protect themselves and their loved ones.
  
  I would encourage anyone who is considering studying a foreign language to take the leap and do it. I have had the pleasure of being a part of numerous experiences that have opened so many doors for me down the road, both in the journey towards my career and in my personal life. I am forever grateful for the connections and experiences I have obtained throughout my studies at UE and hope to share everything I have learned going forward!

• Tyla Rasche (2022), French Education Major, TESL [ View Tyla's Biography ]

• Jacob Brown (2021), B.A. spanish Major, russian minor [ View Jacob's Biography ]

  From a young age, I had been passionate about foreign languages and my experience at the University of Evansville fostered my desire to learn more. While at UE, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a Russian minor through the support of the Languages and Cultures department. The courses are structured in a way that allow professors to recognize the needs of their students and prepare them for employable opportunities following the program. I felt consistently challenged to maximize my potential, and ultimately reached a professional level of proficiency. After graduation, I pursued my master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies, after which I founded a translation business, Heartland Interpretation and Translation Services, LLC. To this day, I credit much of my success to the experiences I was presented by the UE Department of Languages and Cultures.

• Dalisa McCallum (2020), English Education, Spanish and
  Hannah Stagg (2020) Spanish and International Studies [ View Dalisa and Hannah's Biography ]

  We chose the Spanish translation Service GAP course because we wanted to use our Spanish to help the surrounding community. It’s easy to stay in our campus bubble and not get involved with the Evansville people, but with this class we were able to work towards our degree and form connections with the community. Personal meetings, phone calls, and other modes of direct communication with the Spanish-speaking community and Vanderburgh Health Department workers provided a more personal approach to our project.We were also able to work with our Spanish professors in a different way by working together as a team not confined to the traditional lecturer and student roles. The laid back environment allowed us to create friendships with new people and have healthy debates over the Spanish language and the process of translation. It was such a rewarding experience to see our work and then present it to the members of the community who were in need of translation services. The smiles on their faces at the end of the project made the class more rewarding because our efforts had a real-world impact.

• Olivia Goldstein (2019), BA Spanish, Conc. Medical Spanish, BS Pre-Professional Exercise Science [ View Olivia's Biography ]

  During my 4 year at the University of Evansville, I was extremely fortunate to be connected with internship and volunteer opportunities to immerse myself in the Spanish language and culture that have allowed me to develop as a bilingual professional. My very first professional Spanish-immersion experience was through Ace Care, a pro-bono physical therapy clinic operated through of UE’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program and run entirely by its students. I worked in the clinic as an interpreter for Spanish speaking patients. Throughout my time in the clinic, I had the opportunity of working with Latinx patients from all over North, Central, and South America, each patient with his/her own cultural and language considerations based on where he/she was from. The invaluable skills that I gained through my volunteer work in Ace Care included better understanding of pragmatics in different Spanish-speaking cultures, an improved working knowledge of medical terminology, and a heightened empathy and understanding of existing in a world that does not share your language or culture.
  
  My second opportunity for Spanish immersion occurred in a very different environment; I worked as a coach at Centro FS Sevilla in Seville, Spain. At this physical therapy, injury re-adaptation and personal training facility, we rehabilitated and trained clients from age 12 to age 86; professional athletes, postpartum women, post-surgical patients, adult fitness, and everything in between. This experience was an expansion of the aforementioned skills, as I was submersed in an entirely different culture and nearly a completely different language than the Spanish that I was accustomed to. Not only did I acquire a new global perspective and knowledge about manual treatment techniques and performance training programs pertaining to the field of health sciences, but I also improved my fluency in Spanish as well as my understanding of another Hispanic culture.
  
  Choosing to pursue a second degree in a foreign language here at UE has already opened to many doors for me, leading to endless opportunities for learning which have no ceiling. I have already excelled in my career in several aspects as a result of being bilingual and more culturally aware and sensitive, and thanks to the education, immersion, and other opportunities I received, I will continue to do so exponentially.

• Toan Nguyen (2017), Nursing [ View Toan's Biography ]

• Elizabeth Collier (2017), Electrical Engineering, Spanish Minor [ View Elizabeth's Biography ]

• Kristen Sholander (2017), PT PhD program. [ View Kristen's Biography ]

  "Minoring in Spanish at UE allowed me to develop fluency in the language and ultimately gave me the confidence to practice as a physical therapist in a heavily Spanish-speaking area. The Spanish Conversation course showed me how much I had yet to learn to truly develop fluency, and it gave me a foundation on which to grow my speaking skills. This inspired me to seek out opportunities to spend time in Spanish-speaking countries, where I was immersed in the language and able to achieve a greater level of fluency. The Medical Spanish course gave me a strong foundation in medical vocabulary, which was invaluable for my clinical in Mexico as a PT student and for my current job at a hospital in Albuquerque. The Spanish program at UE helped me achieve my life-long dream of living and working in a largely Hispanic area and being able to connect with Spanish-speaking individuals on a personal and professional level.”
  
  "I chose UE because I wanted a small school where I could get to know my classmates and professors and not just be another face in the crowd. The postcards and flyers UE sent me as a senior in high school depicted the campus in a very positive light, and when I finally got to visit for myself, I felt comfortable and at home. Ultimately, I chose UE because it allowed me to pursue my various personal and professional interests, including playing in music ensembles and receiving scholarship money as a non-music major, exploring the outdoors through the Venturing Crew, growing in my faith through bible studies, and achieving my goal of becoming a physical therapist through the Direct Entry Physical Therapy program. I knew very little about the Languages and Cultures Department prior to studying at UE, but I knew I wanted to continue studying Spanish. During my freshman year, my Spanish professor encouraged me to pursue a Spanish minor, which prompted me to become more serious in my Spanish studies. Eventually, this led to two internship experiences abroad and various cross-cultural friendships with Spanish-speaking students, through whom I gained a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Spanish language and culture.”

• James deSilva (2017), German Major, Japanese Studies minor; Graduate Teaching Assistant in German Studies PhD program at Vanderbilt University.

• Michael Cui (2016), Marketing [ View Michael's Biography ]

• Colleen Dierkes (2017), Global business major; Spanish minor. Orr Fellowship in Indianapolis

• Tessa McLinden (2016), Spanish, Political Science, and International Studies. Currently pursuing her Master's degree in Security Policy Studies at The George Washington University through the Elliott School of International Affairs. [ Photos of Tessa ] [ View Tessa's Biography ]

  "Studying Spanish at the University of Evansville was one of the most foundational and positive experiences of my life both academically and personally. By studying Spanish at UE, I had the opportunity to partake in a full-immersion study abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 6 months and work as a translator for a Habitat for Humanity build in Tecpán, Guatemala. Further, my Spanish language skills were essential to my receiving an academic scholarship to the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University where I am currently in my final year of my master’s program. Taking courses ... at UE have paid off greatly in my professional career. My first internship in Washington, DC with the Washington Office on Latin America required Spanish fluency, as did my internship with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in Bogotá, Colombia this past summer. As I continue on the path towards a career in policy in the Latin American region, I am incredibly grateful for the skills I gained as a Spanish student at UE.”

• Sarah Stuckwisch (2016), BA Spanish and final year DPT student [ View Sarah's Biography ]

  Hola! My name is Sarah Stuckwisch and I am a third year physical therapy student at the University of Evansville. I also went to undergrad at UE and majored in Spanish. The Foreign Language Department at UE is phenomenal for many reasons, but what made it so perfect for me was how flexible the professors are and how much they cared about me as a person.
  
  I chose to major in Spanish prior to attending PT school because having the ability to communicate in two languages is an extremely marketable skill in healthcare. The need for Spanish-speaking healthcare workers is at an all-time high and will only continue to rise, so giving myself these skills made a lot of sense and gives me a competitive edge when applying for jobs. I’ve also always enjoyed learning about languages and experiencing new cultures. The Foreign Language Department at UE helped me to do this through a full semester long study abroad experience in Granada, Spain and still graduate in three years. I’m not sure another university would have worked with me the way that UE did to make that possible.
  
  Though the FL department is wonderful from an academic standpoint, its professors truly make up the heart of the program and shaped my experience into the memories I will carry with me forever. These are people who go the extra mile, who reach out to students to help them get engaged in their program, and who genuinely care about their students as people. I’ve been graduated from the FL program for nearly 3 years and am still in touch with some of my professors and hope to always be. I absolutely cannot imagine my UE experience without the Foreign Language department and the people in it. The language skills I learned and the relationships I formed with the professors will take me far in both my professional and personal life.

• Eunice de la Torre (2016), Digital Content Producer at WFIE: the NBC-affiliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southwestern Indiana, Northwestern Kentucky, and Southeastern Illinois that's licensed to Evansville, Indiana.

• Tabitha Zimmermann (2016), German Teacher, Roncalli High School, Indianapolis

• Maryam Abdi (2015), Theater and French major: Fulbright Scholar in Cameroon. [ Video of Maryam's experience ]

• Jacquelyn Ballard (2015), double-major in Spanish and Business Administration, minor in French: teaching English in France.

• Gretchen Kohl (2015), Spanish major. Completed her MBA in Barcelona, Spain.

• Josh Taylor (2015), Spanish Education major: teaching Spanish at North Gibson High School. [ View Josh's Biography ]

  "As I was looking at colleges, the University of Evansville appealed to me due to their study abroad requirement for all foreign language majors. I was excited at the prospect of spending a semester in a Spanish-speaking country, learning the language better, and interacting with native speakers. I am glad that it was a requirement as it pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to become a better Spanish student and person. While living abroad, I had the opportunity to travel around the country, live with a host family, experience the culture first hand, and learn about the history of the country.”
  
  "Another reason I chose to attend UE was the connection that I made with my professors. All of my professors cared about me, both academically and personally. I met several professors during open houses and scholarship days, and even from those short instances, I could tell that I wanted them to teach me and I knew that they would push me to become better at Spanish. If I was struggling with concepts, the professors were more than willing to meet outside of class. My professors truly cared about me and wanted me to succeed.”

• Mareea Thomas (2015), WNIN (Evansville, IN).

• Anna Whiteman (2015), major in International Studies, minors in Japanese Studies and Russian Studies: teaching English in JET Program in Japan.

• Rachel Cutshall (2014), Spanish Minor: Registered Nurse at IU Health Bloomington Hospital.

• Whitney Darrett (2014), German major: Project Manager with IBM in Dallas.

• Laura O'Leary (2014), German Major: Grants & School Engagement Manager for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) Foundation.

• Lesley Nash (2014), International Studies, Political Science, and French major: interning with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights East African Regional Office (UN OHCHR-EARO) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Adjunct faculty at Georgetown College.

• Nathan Stamps (2014), German major, Russian Studies minor: Legislative Correspondent, Office of Senator Dan Coats, Washington, D.C.

• Matt Mueller (2012), Spanish major: bilingual claims adjuster for InsurMax Insurance.

• Kelsey Shantz (2011), Int. Studies major/Russian Studies minor: Policy Program Associate, Mass Violence & Atrocities. The Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, Iowa.

• Cesilie Myers Cordovilla (2010), Spanish major: Immigration Specialist with Catholic Social Services.

• Niko Vasiloff (2009), Spanish major: Study Abroad & Exchange Student Advisor, Kent State University, Ohio.