2021 Ken Stewart Scholarship Recipient Update Dear SCOLT Members: I have some exciting updates on how my college education is going, since this stage of my life (which I have always dreamed of) would not have been possible without your generous scholarships for which I am extremely grateful. This would not have been possible without you all, and I want you all to be a part of my college experience because of your contribution. I decided to attend Western Kentucky University and enroll in a Spanish and Arabic double major (with teacher certification in both) with a minor in TESL. Additionally, I am involved in the Mahurin Honors College to challenge myself academically and gain experience in research which will be vital for graduate school. Academics: Currently, I am enrolled in Arabic 301/302, Intro to Education, Intro to Linguistics, Arabic Literature in Translation (to satisfy literature requirements), and Russian 101. Next semester, I will begin Spanish 370. Academics have gone great and are my major priority-- in general, I have been studying around three hours per school day. I had my first exam in ARBC 301 recently, and scored a 94%. So, things are going great here and I am about to begin observing teachers for the education class. Extracurriculars/Work: I was hired by the Department of Modern Languages as a student worker. Essentially, I help our faculty by making copies or completing spreadsheets for their projects. I also answer phone calls for students wanting to know more about our programs and am currently working on a departmental essay contest for heritage speakers of Spanish. Beyond this, I am involved in several extracurriculars. For example, I live in the Living Learning Program for education on campus which lets me network with future colleagues. Before arriving on campus, a Spanish instructor asked me if I'd be willing to serve as president of the Spanish Club (which I accepted). I was recently asked to become vice president of the Arabic Club by an Arabic instructor (which I also accepted), and it is promising that I will be president of that club next year. Additionally, I was asked to serve as part of the Honors Development Board which makes grant decisions for the university.
Moreover, I am finding additional ways to serve in the department. For example, I asked our department head, Dr. Alex Poole if I could volunteer for the Department of Modern Languages today since there was an event going on for high school students thinking of coming to the campus. Today, I set up a table with Dr. Poole and Mrs. Yertty VanderMolen, a Spanish instructor, to share information about our programs with potential students. I got to meet so many people and it was great to meet some future classmates and colleagues. In the future, I hope to volunteer more for the department and get involved with the Russian club and the Arabic Qatar Debate Team. I have had time to have lunch with a retired professor of German, Dr. Laura McGee, who was instrumental in my visit to campus two years ago and remains a great mentor in my studies. I am attempting to meet all the faculty possible and find my way around the campus.
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