- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Consulate of Mexico create partnership to promote community education programs

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 16:10:07 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock have created a partnership to advance education initiatives primarily for Mexican nationals, those of Mexican origin, and others interested in Latino culture living in the central Arkansas region.�� The Consulate of Mexico at Little Rock has provided ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a $5,700 grant for activities that support Mexico’s Education Orientation Window Program to help consulates promote education among Mexican nationals and other Latino groups in the U.S. The program was established in 2017 by the Mexican Secretariat of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Institute of Mexicans Living Abroad. Conducted in partnership with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of World Languages, key activities will include outreach to local high schools and workshops on educational opportunities for adults. “The Department of World Languages has long had an informal relationship with the Consulate of Mexico with respect to a variety of cultural activities,” said Dr. Andrew Deiser, chair of the Department of World Languages. “This newly established formal agreement with the consulate is an opportunity for both entities to fulfill our missions by collaborating on multiple educational initiatives.” As an example of opportunities that can be afforded through this new partnership, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock recently completed a five-week ACT prep program for high school students on Nov. 14. The classes were led by Dr. Edma Delgado-��Ǳ�ó��Դ�, assistant professor of Spanish at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and �Ѳ��á�� Unidas, a group of Latino mothers dedicated to providing higher education information and opportunities for their children and community. “This is an organization of local moms from central Arkansas who do peer-to-peer advising on how to get their children beyond secondary education,” Delgado-��Ǳ�ó��Դ� said. “There is a need for ACT prep classes, and I thought the university would be interested in bringing students to campus to make them feel more comfortable pursuing higher education.” Around 50 to 60 students attended the workshops, which were conducted with assistance from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of World Languages, Department of Math and Statistics, and TRIO Student Support Services. In 2020, the Consulate of Mexico plans to offer educational workshops that will be open to any member of the public interested in learning more about these educational topics. The classes will include subjects like how to fill out the FAFSA, how to get a GED, tips for getting into college, and educational opportunities in Mexico. These are the types of activities with which ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and faculty will be engaged.

Recent grad lands international teaching position in France

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:51:10 +0000

A recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been accepted into a prestigious international teaching program and will spend the next year gaining valuable professional experience teaching in France.�� Emily Fendley, a Monticello native, graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in May with a double major in French and anthropology and a minor in nonprofit leadership studies. After spending her senior year studying abroad at the Université d’Orléans in Orléans, France, Fendley decided to put her new language and cultural skills to work through the . Each year, more than 1,500 American citizens and permanent residents teach English to French students in elementary and secondary schools across France and the overseas departments of French such as Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. “I am looking forward to continuing living in France. I’ve never had an in-classroom experience teaching, but I was a conversation teacher at the university this past year,” she said. “It will be a learning and growing experience for me. I think of this as a challenge I want to step up to.” Fendley will spend Oct. 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020, teaching in Laval, a town in western France. Her duties will include serving as a resource person in conversation groups, providing small group tutorials, facilitating English-language clubs, and giving talks related to American studies. In return, Fendley will receive a stipend and health insurance, but she’s most excited about the opportunity to learn more about the French language and culture. “I’m excited to live in the north of France and learn about the region,” she said. “Even though France is smaller than Texas, you wouldn’t know it by how different the regions are.” Fendley’s love of the French language started in high school while taking a language class in the ninth grade. Her interest rekindled at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and grew into a second major. “I had to take a foreign language in high school, and the only choices were Spanish and French. I wanted to be different so I took French for one semester,” she said. “At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, I decided to take French again, and I really enjoyed the classes and was picking up the language well. Eventually, the department asked me if I wanted to major in French as well, and the more I learned, the more I enjoyed the language.” While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Fendley was active in student life, serving as president of both the Anthropology Club and the Nonprofit Student Leadership Association. She credits her ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors for giving her invaluable advice and guidance for the future. “All of my professors were amazing,” she said. “You don’t know how many times I sat in their office and asked them for advice on my future and my degree program.” Professors like Dr. Zachary Hagins say that Fendley’s success is all down to her hard work and tenacious spirit. “Emily has taken advantage of the wealth of opportunities available for students studying French at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and she exemplifies the benefits of language immersion through study abroad,” Hagins said. “The first time I had Emily in class, she had just finished Intermediate French and was still like most students at that level: a bit timid in her speaking abilities. Then, she participated in our five-week, faculty-led Summer Language Program in France. Upon her return, her language skills had improved, but more importantly, her confidence in speaking French had skyrocketed. Given her summer experience in France, I was not surprised when she decided to return to France for a full academic year, taking advantage of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s consortium agreement with the Université d’Orléans. The reports we have received from her professors in France reflect what we already knew: Emily is hard-working, dynamic, and very motivated. I am certain that we will continue to hear about great achievements from her in the future!” As for her future after the completion of the teaching program, Fendley sees many possibilities. She wants to continue to travel and work internationally at nonprofit organizations and go to graduate school.�� “Since I studied three different areas at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, there are a lot of different graduate school programs I could go into. Choosing is the hardest part,” Fendley said. Alumni of the Teaching Assistant Program in France often pursue global careers in education, international business, public health, international policy and development, and arts and culture administration, as well as are regularly recruited by top graduate schools who value language proficiency and intercultural competency, according to the program’s website.��

Graduating student plans to make difference by teaching in high-needs urban schools

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:39:28 +0000

When Jessica Tate, a 22-year-old native of Nashville, Arkansas, spent this summer teaching English as a second language in China, what she experienced led her to make a life-changing decision.�� “What I saw in China blew my mind,” Tate said. “I went to five different schools over the course of my internship, so I got to see the disparities in educational access. It gave me a totally new perspective.” Tate will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 15, earning two Bachelor of Arts degrees in international studies and Spanish. For many years, Tate assumed she would join the United Nations as an interpreter following her graduation, or perhaps a think tank to do research on international policies. But the internship she completed in China, a part of her requirement for her international studies degree, changed those plans. “The internship legitimately changed my life,” she said. “There was one school where we had to teach in this building that seemed so disconnected from the rest of campus. I remember being in this building that was meant to be a gym. I didn’t have access to a computer, projector, or desks. I only had a small board, and I had to squat down in order to write anything to teach. It was really that experience that opened my eyes to that I should be doing something that is fulfilling to me.” Tate applied and has been accepted to a four-year teacher residency position with the, a nonprofit organization operating in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The mission of Urban Teachers is to prepare highly effective teachers who are committed to teaching students in school districts that need them most. In June, Tate will move to Baltimore, where she will teach secondary mathematics in high-need schools, all while earning her state teacher license and earning a Master of Science degree in education from Johns Hopkins University School of Education. After graduating high school at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts in 2014, Tate started at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as a recipient of the Donaghey Scholars Program. The campuswide honors program includes full tuition and fees, a living stipend, financial assistance toward a study abroad program, a housing subsidy, and a new laptop computer. “I was very fortunate to have the Donaghey Scholars Program,” she said. “I get to graduate debt free, and I am very thankful for that. Meeting new people was the most enjoyable part.” Dr. Simon Hawkins, director of the Donaghey Scholars Program, described Tate as an inspiring student who always rises to the challenge. “Jessica is one of those inspiring students who takes advantage of everything ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has to offer, both in the classroom and the world,” Hawkins said. “She is the model of a well-rounded student who always seeks challenges, whether it be teaching English in Mongolia or learning photography and piano or tackling world quality research with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty. She is driven by a desire to understand the world. Many of her experiences have been hard and have pushed her personally and intellectually, but she has always risen to the challenge.” She credits Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm and Dr. Joseph Giammo, professors in the School of Public Affairs, as two of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors who helped her the most. “I have been very lucky to have some professors like Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm and Dr. Joe Giammo. Dr. Brahm has helped me a lot to try to figure out my life. He’s been a great mentor to have, and I have learned a lot from him. He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know. He cares about his students and wants to see the best for them. Dr. Giammo was very helpful and understanding. I enjoyed his classes, and he was a good mentor.” Working with Wiebelhaus-Brahm also gave Tate amazing research experience. She completed three research projects with him. The most memorable project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid peace operation in South Sudan, a project that she presented in the university’s Student Research and Creative Works Expo and the College of Social Sciences and Communication Research Symposium. During the six months between graduation and her move to Baltimore, Tate plans to get a job and earn some money, but she also has some major life events to look forward to. As part of her graduation present, Tate and her mother will travel to the Philippines to visit her mother’s family. “My mom and I are going to the Philippines for a whole month as part of my graduation present to visit the homeland and visit my family,” Tate said. “My mom and I have been planning this for a long time. It’s part of the reason I studied so hard. I wanted to do this for my mom. I’ve never been there before, and I’m going to meet my family for the first time over there.” On May 17, 2019, Tate will marry her fiancé, Zachary Cochran, a senior economics major at the university who will graduate next May. They met at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock when Cochran was taking a Spanish class and needed a tutor, who turned out to be Tate. “I was reading a book, ‘The End of Poverty,’ she said. “He looked at the book, and said ‘I know that book.’ We talked about how much we like the Penguin publishing company. We hit it off first thing. It happens when you have two bookish people. We even have these book dates where we go to Barnes and Noble to sit down and read.” In the upper right photo, graduating senior Jessica Tate is an avid reader and origami artist. Photo by Benjamin Krain.��

Venezuelan student finds new home at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 13:34:56 +0000

When Katherine Zambrano first moved to Little Rock to live with her aunt, whose husband was ill, Little Rock seemed like a different world compared to her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, with a population of more than two million people.�� “I came from a very big city, like Chicago or New York, and there is a lot of noise there,” said Zambrano, a 21-year-old senior. “Here, it is slow paced, and it is silent at times. It was hard to adjust, but I really love it now. The tranquility and calmness have grown on me.” Anxious to get started on her college education, Zambrano began at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock soon after she arrived in the spring 2015 semester. She is appreciative of the volunteers from International Student Services for helping her adjust to a new country. “International Student Services helped me to adjust to college life,” she said. “Student volunteers tell you about campus life and give you a tour of campus. Everything is overwhelming when you get here, so having someone welcome you and tell you where the best place to eat and hang out is very helpful.” In December, Zambrano will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and media production and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. She plans to work as a translator and in the communications industry. While on campus, Zambrano has received a variety of work experience to prepare her for the future. She has worked in the Office of Testing Services and International Student Services.��

Katherine Zambrano attends Mosaic Church where she worked as an intern translating Spanish and also works as a children’s Sunday school teacher with her husband. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

“In the International Student Services office, I have been able to work alongside incredible people who have become my friends and meet new people from all over the world,” she said. “My favorite part of being a student is getting to meet people from Argentina and Saudi Arabia and everywhere in the world. It’s great that we have such a cultured school.” On the communications side, she worked as a lab assistant for the School of Mass Communication, managing communication equipment used by students. She has also served as an intern at KATV and at Mosaic Church, where she served as a Spanish translator and created graphics. Zambrano also enjoyed working on “The Lunch Box,” a television news program produced by the School of Mass Communication, and a class documentary. “As a mass communication major, I was fortunate to work with a documentarist from HBO. He was our teacher for a semester, and we were able to make a documentary from scratch. It was great and an experience that I will never forget.” She is also actively involved in the community and volunteers at Mosaic Church, the children’s ministry at Fellowship Bible Church, and as a group leader for International Student Services. On campus, Zambrano has also served as president of the International Club and vice president of Genesis Campus Ministry, where she met her husband, David, who is studying to be a physician assistant at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The two were married at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs in 2017.

Katherine Zambrano has worked as a lab assistant in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock television production studio. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

One of her favorite teachers was Dr. Mark Giese, who retired from the School of Mass Communication in 2017. “He was the one who got me interested in media production,” Zambrano said. “I had one of his classes, and he was this person who wanted you to learn. He was very passionate toward filming and photography, and he wanted you to love it.” Zambrano is thankful to her friends in International Student Services and Counseling Services who helped her adjust to college life and make ��Vlog��ý Little Rock her new home. “I arrived in the U.S. three and a half years ago and was met with a lot of incredible people that guided me and taught me all I know now,” she said. “I knew English but that was where my knowledge stopped in terms of college, and I was met with so many people that wanted to help me succeed and that was the biggest incentive to continue going. I love the community, and people are so friendly, and people aren’t afraid to say hello and will come up and meet new people.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student researches the role of Argentinian films in LGBTQ rights

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 19:09:21 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student spent the summer at a prestigious study abroad program where he examined Argentina’s films to determine the role they play in citizens’ LGBTQ rights.�� Dylan Wright, a junior Spanish and political science double major from Little Rock, attended the School for International Training through the study abroad program, “Argentina: Human Rights and Social Media,” from March through June. “I didn’t want to just study Spanish,” Wright said. “I looked for programs that were taught in Spanish, and I was very interested in human rights. I found a program based in Buenos Aires that was taught in Spanish and studied human rights. It was really interesting to see Argentina’s human rights history up close.” The law regarding human rights in Argentina is unique since the country included several international human rights treaties into its constitution in 1994, which resulted in the importation of international law into the country’s legal system. “They are at the forefront of human rights in many areas. People talk about human rights there all the time; things that people in the U.S. would not realize they have human rights to. Even on the buses, there is a sticker on the bus outlining the human rights that pertain to transportation. Everyone has the right to health care. They don’t view it as a privilege. They view it as a fundamental right.” Wright completed his research paper this semester under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Finzer, associate professor of Spanish and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. He plans to present the paper, “Framing LGBTQ Rights: Critical Film Perspectives in the Argentine Queer Community,” at a conference in the spring 2019 semester. Through the study of Argentine film, particularly the ��Latin American film movement known as Third Cinema, as well as through the concept of cultural agency, Wright worked to enhance and develop an understanding of the role that art and culture can play in advancing civil rights and social equality.

Dylan Wright (left) and a fellow student take a walk near a Mapuche organization’s headquarters in Bariloche, Argentina, a largely tourist town known for its Swiss colonial influence.

“Third Cinema developed in Argentina. The people who first coined the term were film directors from Argentina in 1968 and 1969,” Wright said. “After the dictatorship ended, there was a big call for cultural products that opposed the dictatorship. I looked at independent queer cinema in Argentina. It was interesting to look at how the directors implicitly took inspiration from Third Cinema’s tropes and styles. I interviewed one film director, one film historian, and an artistic director of a film festival that focuses on queer cinema.” In the spring 2019 semester, Wright will put his language skills to use in another international human rights project. He received a Signature Research Experience Award to work with Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, who is examining truth commissions in 11 Latin American countries, including Argentina, which were created to investigate human rights violations committed during military dictatorships or during civil wars in the region. “We are looking for the truth in what happened during the dictatorships in these 11 countries,” he said. “Since Eric does not speak Spanish, I will use textual analysis to see what language might have been more effective in these truth commission reports and what might have been copied from other reports.” Through the project, Wright will learn new research methodologies. Wright, who is currently taking a human rights course with Wiebelhaus-Brahm, is interested in how international law can be used to help people who have suffered human rights violations. “I am really interested in human rights in general,” Wright said. “Since I speak Spanish, it’s easier to focus on Latin American commissions. There is a push for truth there that isn’t in a lot of the rest of the world. I am interested in how international law can make tangible differences in people’s lives in a way that is not arcane.” After graduation from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2019, Wright plans to attend a graduate program in law and public policy to eventually work in the field of civil and human rights. In the upper right photo,��Dylan Wright overlooks Esquel in Argentina’s Chubut province, where he and fellow students learned about local organized resistance to large mines.��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock employees’ work showcased at exhibits

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 15:10:09 +0000

The work of two University of Arkansas at Little Rock employees is on display at two venues in Little Rock.�� Gallery 26, which offers custom, do-it-yourself framing and fine art, is showcasing 20 photographs from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock photographer Benjamin Krain. His work is on display until Oct. 27. Gallery 26 is located at 2601 Kavanaugh Suite 1 (Ice House Center), Little Rock. Krain got his start in photography at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, taking photography classes with his favorite professor Gary Cawood, a retired professor of art. He graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1995 with bachelor’s degrees in art and broadcast journalism. Krain previously worked as a photojournalist with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for 24 years, traveling the world to cover news events in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Marshall Islands, and Haiti. His newest show features random works from his career as well as new pairings of unrelated photos used to form diptychs, pieces of art formed in two parts.

Benjamin Krain’s diptych features two photos demonstrating the devastation of New Orleans flooding from Hurricane Katrina and the damage from a tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.

A ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member, Dr. Andrew J. Deiser, interim chair of the Department of World Languages, has a love of art as well as language. His display of 13 evocative oil and watercolor landscapes is being shown at Community Bakery, 1200 Main St., Little Rock, through Oct. 31. The paintings feature Pinnacle Mountain, Broadway Bridge, the Arkansas State Capitol building, and the Cathedral Apartments. “The major theme to the exhibit is Arkansas landscapes, both urban and from West Little Rock,” Deiser said. Deiser has been painting and drawing since the age of 10. In 2012, Deiser took a plein air (French for painting outdoors) workshop with German artist Guido Frick, where he became “hooked on painting outdoors.” He has received mentoring from local artist Arden Boyce and has taken workshops with artists Brian Mark Taylor, Trey McCarley, and Lori Putnam. In summer 2017, Deiser was selected as an artist-in-residence at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Andrew Deiser’s “Surprise on the Broadway Bridge is one of several paintings on display at Community Bakery in Little Rock.

College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences awards four Summer Research Fellowship Grants

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:13:54 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences awarded $10,480 in Summer Research Fellowship Grants to four professors who are spending their summer breaks performing unique research.�� The grant winners include Michael Warrick, professor of sculpture from the Department of Art and Design; Shanzhi Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry; Heather Hummel, assistant professor in the Department of English; and Zachary Hagins, professor in the Department of World Languages. Warrick received $2,480 to enlarge his traditional clay portraits of contemporary architects of peace in his project, “Portraits of Peace.” Utilizing contemporary 3D scanning and scaling technology, he plans to produce monumentally scaled portraits reflecting the benefits of meditation and spiritual centeredness. Additional long-term prospects for the project include a touring exhibition and a lecture series titled “Portraits of Peace in Clay and Bronze.” In his project, “Enzymatic studies of BbI06 from Lyme disease causing Borrelia��burgdorferi,” Wang has received $4,000 to fund an early step of a larger research project that has a long-term goal to eliminate Borrelia burgdorferi, bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, by inhibiting all three isoforms of methylthioadenosine nucleosidases of Borrelia burgdorferi (pfs, bgp and BbI06). Hummel has received $1,650 for a research trip that follows the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. She will visit historic sites and museums on her week-long, 1,300-mile loop through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. The information gathered along the way will be used to write a collection of poems that reconsiders the historic civil rights narratives against the urgency of social justice issues today. The final grant recipient, Hagins, received $2,350 to travel to Arles and Paris, France, to gather primary sources to finish drafting two chapters of his book manuscript. “Visualizing Diversity in the Republic: Contemporary Photography and the French Urban Periphery” explores how engaged photography can show how underprivileged social actors in France negotiate political, social, and cultural obstacles in their everyday lives. After completing the research, Hagins will be able to submit the manuscript for publication. In the upper right photo,��Michael Warrick stands by his sculpture, “Straight Lines on a Round World,” in front of the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock, which commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase Survey.

Olson receives Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Spain

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 14:43:14 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has received a prestigious Gilman Scholarship, so she can study abroad in Spain to improve her language skills to better serve her future Spanish-speaking patients.�� Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, received $2,500 from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program. She will use the money to study at the University of Granada: Center of Modern Languages in Spain during the fall semester. The U.S. Department of State’s is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness. “I am very grateful for the scholarship. I come from a single-parent household, so money for education has been tight,” Olson said. “Beginning in high school, I have tried to ensure myself financially by trying to get as many scholarships as possible to try to relieve that financial pressure on my mom.” Olson is a super senior entering her fifth year at ��Vlog��ý little Rock with three majors. She could have graduated in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology. During summer 2017, Olson went on a short-term study abroad trip to Spain led by Dr. Edna Delgado, professor of Spanish. They spent a week in Madrid, which Olson describes as the “New York City of Spain,” before spending a month living with a host family while taking classes at the University of Granada. “My homestay life was incredible,” she said. “I had such a delightful group of ladies and an adorable, feisty cat to spend my time with during meal times and downtime. I have the palate of a five-year-old, and yet I found myself opening up to the variety of foods cooked for me. I also had the nerve-wracking yet exciting daily opportunity to practice my conversational Spanish with my family, all of whom were very patient and understanding.” After discovering a love of the language and country, Olson decided to stay an additional year to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and to study abroad for a semester in Spain.

Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, received $2,500 from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program to study at the University of Granada: Center of Modern Languages in Spain during the fall semester. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

“During and after my Spain experience, I kept thinking about how far I had come in my journey of learning Spanish and how much further I could and wished to continue,” she said. “Last summer, I was supposed to study for and take my MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and start applying to different medical schools. �� However, I had a revelation. I realized how the study abroad experience had affected me. I didn’t want to jump into medical school, where there would be rigid limits with regrets of not taking advantage of the opportunity I so desired. I wanted to study abroad again with the same amazing program and in Spain again to continue my dream experience but in a fresh, new way.” Olson plans to attend the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is already at home at ��Vlog��ýMS as a volunteer in the Intensive Care Unit and a research assistant in the Emergency Department. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Olson is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, University Science Scholars Program, Biology Club, American Chemical Society, Wesley Foundation and a resident assistant and student ambassador for the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. �� Olson is also dedicated to helping other students get a head start in their careers. In 2017, she founded the university’s Pre-Health Club for students who are planning to work in the health industry as doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, physician’s assistants, etc. She is hoping that her semester in Spain will improve her language skills enough so she can hold conversations with patients who only speak Spanish. “I came into college with the goal of becoming a physician who would be able to speak with patients in Spanish on at least a basic level,” she said. “This goal intensified when I would volunteer at ��Vlog��ýMS in the Intensive Care Unit, and I would come across families who only knew Spanish, and I wasn’t able to communicate with them and meet their needs most effectively. I would envision myself in the future as a physician and hope that I could bridge the gap between the communication barriers and make my patients feel more comfortable and understood. This inspired me even further to continue my Spanish education that was no requirement for any of my degrees. I am really excited to go back to Spain, get to visit new places, learn more about the languages, and be able to speak it more fluently. That’s my overall goal, so I can one day help patients, regardless if they can speak English or not.” For more information about study or interning abroad opportunities, contact the Office of Study Abroad at 501-569-3376 or studyabroad@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock certificate program in workplace Spanish helps meet demand for bilingual workers

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 13:30:42 +0000

With a growing need for bilingual workers in the workforce, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has a certificate in workplace Spanish that enables workers to gain the language skills needed to engage Spanish speakers on the job.�� “We developed the certificate with students from other disciplines in mind, so that the certificate would help students in whatever profession they decide to pursue,” said Dr. Andrew Deiser, interim chair of the Department of World Languages. “It’s also for people in the community who want to gain an intermediate level of Spanish to use in their workplaces. They can have the certificate to show their employer that they have gained these language skills.” The, which began in 2016, is designed for working professionals who are looking to build a strong foundation in the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, but may not have enough time to complete a degree. The certificate program is also a good fit for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students in academic programs that do not have enough flexible hours to complete a second major or minor in Spanish. “It’s attractive to students from a variety of disciplines. They can complete the certificate in just 15 hours, rather than a minor that is 18-21 hours,” Deiser said. “It’s attractive to professionals who may not want to earn a whole degree or even a minor, but who can come out with an intermediate level of Spanish-speaking ability to use in their careers. Not only are students gaining proficiency in Spanish, but we are also teaching them about Hispanic culture. Students are acquiring language skills as well as cultural competence.”�� The 15-hour certificate in the can be taken completely online. Traditional face-to-face classes are also available. Students who can demonstrate an appropriate level of ��proficiency in Spanish can enter the certificate program without taking Intermediate Spanish 1 and 2.

Dr. Andrew Deiser

The certificate program is a popular choice among healthcare professionals, remarked Deiser, who recalled that many nurses are entering the program so they can better communicate with Spanish-speaking patients. Students and professionals working in law, business, and criminal justice fields also find the certificate helpful. shows that the demand for bilingual workers in the United States more than doubled, with about 240,000 job postings aimed at bilingual workers in 2010 increasing to 630,000 postings in 2015. Lucee Lugo, a senior interdisciplinary studies major, is joining the certificate program in the fall to gain greater proficiency in the Spanish language. “I work as a patient care technician at Baptist Health, so speaking Spanish well is an asset. Having experience dealing with a second language is something that employers look for and can put you over the top when applying for a job. Since it’s only 15 credit hours, it’s a great chance to go ahead and get a certificate that will be of great value in the future.” Lugo, whose father is from Puerto Rico, said learning more Spanish will also help her connect with her Hispanic roots and the Hispanic community in her hometown of De Queen, Arkansas. “My dad is a pastor of a Hispanic church, and De Queen has a large Hispanic population,” she said. “Growing up, the Hispanic culture is something I really love. My dad is fluent, but I did not grow up speaking Spanish, so it gives me a chance to learn about my own culture.” For more information about the certificate in workplace Spanish, contact Dr. Deiser at 501-569-8158 or ajdeiser@ualr.edu.

Future doctor plans to use language skills to help people get better access to healthcare

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 10 May 2018 13:29:13 +0000

As a Spanish interpreter at the 12th Street Health and Wellness Center in Little Rock, Rebecca Parker Moreira sees the challenges medical professionals and patients face when they cannot communicate with each other.�� “In the medical field, there are very few bilingual doctors,” Moreira said. “I think it is very important to build a rapport with patients by speaking their native language. It’s a big barrier for healthcare providers to not be able to communicate with their patients. It’s also a hindrance for the patients to have access to healthcare.” Moreira will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock May 12 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a second in Spanish. To improve her language skills in the medical field, Moreira took Advanced Spanish for the Health Professions during the spring 2016 semester. Students in the class get the opportunity to volunteer as Spanish interpreters at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (��Vlog��ýMS) 12th Street Health and Wellness Center, a free clinic. Moreira had such a positive experience at the 12th Street Clinic that she completed a two-semester internship, which gave her enough credits to earn a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. She was also elected to the Spanish interpreter coordinator position and is the only undergraduate student to serve on the clinic’s Student Board of Directors. “My experiences at the clinic motivated me to apply to medical school because I saw the need for Spanish-speaking physicians, and I realized how passionate I was about medicine,” she said. “I want other students to be able to receive the same benefits I have from volunteering, which is why I have worked diligently to facilitate a partnership between the interpreter program at the 12th Street Clinic and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of World Languages.” Moreira has always loved learning new languages. In high school, she studied Spanish and ancient Greek. Learning Spanish also helped her communicate with her high school sweetheart and future husband. “When we started dating in high school, my husband had just come to the U.S. a year before and didn’t speak a lot of English,” she said. “I felt like I would like to learn more Spanish so I could communicate with him better. It’s been really fun to be able to do that.” In addition to being a Spanish interpreter, Moreira is a Donaghey Scholar who works as a referee at Maumelle Soccer Club and a scribe at Anchorpoint Psychological Services. She recently received the American Institute of Chemistry Outstanding Graduating Senior in Chemistry award, the Undergraduate Research Award from the Department of Chemistry, and the Cervantes Outstanding Graduating Senior in Spanish Award from the Department of World Languages.

James Sellers and Rebecca Moreira admire chemistry beaker flasks they were awarded as recipients of the Department of Chemistry’s Outstanding Graduating Senior award. Photo by Ben Krain.

“��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been just the best experience that I could have hoped for at an undergraduate institution,” Moreira said. “Having the financial freedom through the Donaghey Scholars has been amazing. I have been able to help save up for medical school, and I have had a very broad education that I feel that I would not have been able to get at other institutions. Through the chemistry department, I have had opportunities to be involved in research that has shown me a whole other side to academia.” Moreira has conducted research with Dr. Tito Viswanathan, professor of chemistry, for two years. They are studying how a renewable resource-based waste product (woodchips) can be chemically modified to purify water from heavy metal contaminants. She was the recipient of an Undergraduate Research Signature Experience Award, which she used to present their research at the American Chemical Society national meeting in March. Moreira also presented her research at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Research and Creative Works Expo, where she received first place in the Physical Science division and first place in the Life and Physical Science division. Moreira also received first place in the Service Work and Professional Application division for a presentation on her work with the 12th Street Clinic. Moreira has been admitted to the ��Vlog��ýMS College of Medicine Class of 2022, where she will also earn a Master of Public Health degree so she can learn more about the socioeconomic barriers patients face when trying to access healthcare. She plans to become a doctor and use her public health education and language skills to advocate for better healthcare for non-native English speakers. “I am thankful to the Spanish department for the opportunity to use the language skills I learned in my courses to benefit the community because it also gave me the experience and passion to attend medical school,” she said.

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