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Alumni
Recent Alumni News
Juan Felipe Arroyave, a 2019 MA and PhD graduate of the Spanish and Portuguese Department at the University of Washington (UW), has published his translation Cien poetas, cien poemas in e-book format. The original anthology of classical Japanese poetry Hyakunin Issuhu crossed Juan Felipe´s scholarly path while he was studying at the Spanish and Portuguese Department at UW where he took Japanese and Japanese literature classes simultaneously. A successful intersection of spaces… Read more
Dr. David William Foster, Faculty Head of Spanish and Portuguese and Regents Professor of Spanish at Arizona State University, and University of Washington Alumni, passed away June 24 at the age of 79.
Born September 11, 1940 in Seattle, Washington, Dr. Foster grew up in the Wallingford neighborhood and attended University of Washington from 1958 to 1964, earning a BA in Spanish, a… Read more
SPS learned earlier this year of the passing of Dr. Stella Moreno Monroy. Dr. Moreno was a Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature at Central Washington University, and earned her PhD at University of Washington in 1991.
Born November 20, 1948 in Bogota, Colombia, Dr. Moreno earned her BA from Universidad de los Andes and began her career in journalism and public relations before, starting in 1983, pursuing graduate studies at UW, where she earned her Masters and later her PhD… Read more
“Go out there and do things. Some of you are into film; some, into music; some, into video games, etc. Whatever it is, go for it. Find out what’s going on and figure out what you can do.” This is Carlos Varón González's advice to students. Varón is an Assistant Professor at University of California, Riverside, who completed his MA in Hispanic Studies at University of Washington in 2008 before continuing on to Harvard University to complete his PhD.
Varón’s own decision to pursue a… Read more
“The exposure to another culture at a deep enough level to include language studies rounds a person out and helps them think differently when addressing a problem.” Said Gregg Blodgett, ’76. Blodgett, who graduated from University of Washington with a double major in Spanish and Accounting, has led a successful professional life in both technology and philanthropy.
Concluding his career with his retirement from Twisted Pair Solutions as CFO in 2011, Blodgett spent the first 14 years of his… Read more
Meg McFarland, a graduate of the SPS MA program in Hispanic Studies, has made a career out of her education in Spanish, which has led her to a vineyard on the slopes of the Peruvian Andes. Owner and operator of Apu Winery, her company, founded with her husband Fernando Gonzales-Lattini.
McFarland’s career started out in academia with five years at University of Puget Sound, but moved in another direction: “I loved teaching, but my desire to be an… Read more
“Even before I started my studies, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies has been a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment,” said Erin McCoy, who completed her MA in Hispanic Studies in Spring of 2017. “The professors have always been available to answer questions and guide me in my studies. I’ve also been offered ample opportunities to travel and continue my studies outside the classroom, for which I will always be grateful.”
McCoy had already moved to Seattle… Read more
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT | David William Foster
By Irene Panke Hopkins
Distinguished Alumnus, David William Foster, is the 2014 recipient of the Victoria Urbano Academic Achievement Award. This lifetime achievement award recognizes Foster’s dedicated work in the field of feminist and gender studies and their impact on Hispanic society and culture. He is the first male recipient in the award’s 30-year history.
“On my first day of class at UW in October of 1958,” he said, “when I was 18… Read more
Alumni Spotlight: Chris Gregorich
On the seventh floor of City Hall, the Mayor’s office vibrates with activity. The phone on the reception desk rings incessantly. A news crew films an interview on the balcony overlooking Puget Sound and the Smith Tower. Elevator doors burst open, delivering a steady stream of people to meetings -- all to do with the business of running Seattle.
At the center of the action is Chris Gregorich, Mayor Ed Murray’s Chief of Staff and a 2001 alumnus… Read more
Photo by Isaiah Brookshire
An Ambassador for Language Learning
Spanish major Joy Maa has been featured in the June edition of Perspectives, the College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter! Read about her accomplishments HERE.