SiS Newsletter - January 2012
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Recent News January, 2012
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• Bilingual fluency can also mean college scholarships.
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2011/12/22/college-scholarships-abound-for-bilingual-students
• Central Florida schools are gravitating toward Spanish immersion.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-dual-language-20120106,0,597945.story
SiS Student Ambassadors
• Caitlin Cundiff
SiS on the road
• Study in Spain will be traveling throughout the US again this academic year.
Amigos del español
• Olivia Wilde
Institution Profile
Universitat Rovira I Virgili
Interview Lounge
• Jennifer Armentrout | Director of International Studies and Students
Caitlin Cundiff
Hola,
My name is Caitlin Cundiff and I am the Study in Spain Student Ambassador at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA.
Last summer I made the best decision of my college career to anxiously hop on a plane to live and study in Cádiz, Spain. My program was focused on the healthcare industry in Spain, and while I learned much about healthcare, I learned more about the culture, the language, and myself.
During the day, I visited hospitals, pharmacies, womens clinics, and even some alternative medical clinics to better understand healthcare in Spain. At night, my scene changed from doctors in white coats to women and men of all ages in very colorful flamenco dresses and suits. My host mom was a flamenco dancer and her grandaughter, age 4, was learning flamenco, so we would travel all over Andalucia to eat and practice with their family and friends at local flamenco bars. As I met doctors and dancers not only did my spanish improve, but also my understanding and newfound love for Spainsh culture.
Out of my four years of college, studying abroad in Spain was one of the most motivating, exciting, and meaningful learning experience I have had. You can learn a lot in a classroom and in academia, but not until you step into the lives of another culture will you really understand what your readings and textbooks say and so much more beyond that! In Cádiz, I became part of my Andalucian family and culture. When I left Spain I didnt just leave with an enriched education, but also another place to call home.
Study in Spain will be traveling throughout the US again this academic year
Following the path of 2011, in 2012 Study in Spain will keep its participation in the most important education fairs and events.
Since its opening, the Embassy of Spain-Trade Commission Miami, with the support of ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) and EDUESPAÑA have carried Study in Spain all across the US in an effort to promote international education in Spain.
The rewards have been undeniable, as Spain is the third preferred destination for American students worldwide.
This is a brief preview of the projected participation of Study in Spain. The dates and/or events may be subject to changes.
FEB
AIEA - Association of International Education Administrators
19-23 FEB
Washington, DC
MAR
Central Conf. Teaching of Foreign Languages
08-10 MAR
Milwakee, WI
MAR
FORUM of Education Abroad
21-23 MAR
Denver, CO
MAR
JTEC I
MAR 26 - APR 01
Madrid, Spain
APR
NECTFL, Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Laguages
21-22 APR
Baltimore, MD
JUN
NAFSA
27 MAY-01 JUN
Houston, TX
Olivia Wilde
Actress
The sexy 27-year-old actress Olivia Wilde is an avid reader who speaks Spanish and fell in love with flamenco in a long trip she made to Seville.
In Los Angeles we had the opportunity to talk with Olivia Wilde whose film "Butter" will be released this autumn.
What type of heroes you like to read about?
For me, the biggest inspiration was Joan of Arc. She is this unlikely warrior that she is both a child and a warrior that she’s very strong, but very, very compassionate, and completely led by selflessness, also, she seems to be in touch with some higher power.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. I used to live in Spain. I spent 3 months in Seville where I had the opportunity to learn flamenco and the language.
Are you a flamenco fan?
I love flamenco music. I have two dogs one is called Lola in honor of Lola Flores and the other is called Paco in honor of Paco de Lucía.
Do you read Spanish authors?
I don’t read in Spanish but definitely I read Spanish authors as I’m an eager reader. When I was very young, I dreamed of having long stretches when I would be able to read a book.
You worked a lot lately. Are you a workaholic?
I try, I’m a bit of a workaholic. I've been working professionally since I was 18. So I just spend a lot of time doing that but I remind myself I have to let loose and have fun. And luckily I surrounded by people who make my life really fun and do find ways to do that, but at the moment I'm lucky to be working so much that won't be around forever I'm sure. A lot of what other people of my age are doing with their time – spending summer away, doing nothing and having fun – that's not for me right now. I'm having too much fun doing the work that I love. I strive for that balance continuously to find ways…
So what do you do for that balance?
I like to go dancing. I like to see live music. I like all types of dancing. I grew up as a ballerina and then I did a lot of dancing, hip-hop and all sorts of dancing. I love to go to any kind of live music and dancing... that's probably what I love doing the most. I love old music; I’m really into the soul music. I mean I’ll find a Dance Bar and a jukebox and have a wonderful night, you know, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
How do you describe yourself?
I'm tough! I have pretty high standards. I don't think that's bad. I'm glad that I have high standards. But the whole concept of it is sort of foreign to me. So … I don't know I suppose I'll learn more about it...
Will you change to anybody or it's fine to be Olivia?
I'm open to changing because I'm open to learning. I think I've changed over the years and I hopefully become a more complete balanced person. And part of a great relationship is learning from other person, being inspired from them, opening up your world to new types of things whether it's literature, music, art whatever it is it expends your horizons. So I'm in no way stuck in my way. I'm completely open to expansion. And I should enjoy that process – want someone allows you to change and escape your own limits.
Do you have any thoughts about being role model? Do you feel like one?
I've always taken this sort of platform very seriously. It's a huge responsibility to have a wide audience. And I think I realize that for the first time when years ago I was on DOC and I had never really seen the show I didn't know how much of a wide audience it had and I was very shocked by the reach that it had. That was a point when I realize: everything you put out there you've got to be stand by and you have to be proud of. And your voice... an offhand comment to a journalist or in front of a crowd is going to affect someone. That's when I started really taking my platform seriously in terms of my political activity and all. So I do think the idea being a role model is something not to be taking lightly. And when I think of the people who I looked up to when I was young and I would be reading about Meryl Streep and what she was doing with her career and also being a mother and a wife and having a family and being a smart person or whether it was reading about Katharine Hepburn and how she conducted herself in a much different world of Hollywood. I think the idea of the role model is something that... you know it's a serious one because you can seriously affect someone's life. I've also played characters as you know that portray a certain lifestyle that people out there in the world are struggling with, you know I’ve played two bi-sexual characters and I've had people come up to me in the world and say: “listen, you really helped me deal with my own sexuality and I accept it in myself because I saw something you did... “ It seems crazy that something on a TV show would sway someone as they're struggling with themselves but it happens. And it's a responsibility. So yeah I take it seriously.
You come from a family with a lot of writers and journalists how that influenced with you?
I trust no one!
Is that true?
My grandfather has a great quote which is “believe nothing until it's been officially denied”. So that's run through my family. The way that we were brought up is to think for ourselves, to seek the truth for ourselves... and our great love for the written word and that certainly something that's paramount my decisions about what movie to do. I'm a stickler for a material – I can't trust material will get better later. You know if it's not there on a page I don't believe it's gonna be fixed in editing. A lot of people try to say: “yeah, yeah, yeah just do the movie – they'll fix the script”. That's just really cut up for me.
Can you give us one example? Something you've done?
No, usually I don't do those movies! Even if I loved the script I still wanted to know that there was a way for me to give my little imprint under the character. David was so open minded. I knew it was gonna be fun. But there are movies when they say “no”.
Universitat Rovira I Virgili
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Description:
Rovira i Virgili University (URV) is the public university serving the counties of Tarragona (located only 1 hour away from Barcelona) and the core institution of the Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia (CEICS), recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education in 2010. It is the only public university in the region offering on-campus classes and is the area’s largest driver of research and knowledge transfer. The URV has 5 campuses on the Mediterranean coast at which approximately 13,000 students are working towards their undergraduate and postgraduate (masters’ and PhD) degrees and from which about 2,000 students graduate every year.
The Rovira i Virgili University with a comprehensive academic offer of 90 programmes in its 12 faculties is one of the leading universities in the Euro-editerranean area for the quality of its teaching, for its commitment to continuous training and the excellence of its research, development and innovation.
For these reasons we receive clients and students from diplomatic corps, top companies and prestigious universities from around the world. Our membership of EAQUALS and IALC and the Instituto Cervantes and CEELE accreditations confirm this quality.
The Rovira i Virgili University collaborates with over 250 universities in 40 countries, and ensures a high quality of scientific production in such knowledge areas as biomedicine and nutrition, chemistry, chemical engineering, oenology, tourism, technology, anthropology and prehistory, which are strategic for the region. Research is one of the essential functions of the university; therefore the URV has a variety of structures which support the research effort: Institutes, Innovation centres and science and technology parks, as well as teaching and research resource centres.
URV has a unique program in the teaching of Spanish for foreigners, a full year of immersion into the language and culture, an online master of teaching Spanish as a second language and an official masters’ degree in the teaching of second languages. URV is also a certified examining center of the DELE exams (Diploma of Spanish as a foreign language), as well as one of the very few Evaluating Services of the Cervantes Institute thanks to the high quality of its program in the teaching of Spanish.
During the last years the URV has launched a program of Study Abroad courses around the University’s strategic areas and those tailor-made courses that partner universities might request.
Jennifer Armentrout
Director of International Studies and Students
When was the last time you have been to Spain?
The last time I was in Spain was for the Embassy of Spain trip in June 2011.
What do you enjoy most about Spain?
I enjoy so many things about Spain -- the people, the food, the architecture, the history, the diversity in locations within Spain, the safety, the modern conveniences of a first-world country, and the festivals.
What do you think are the advantages of Spain as a destination for American students?
Spain is unique in the Spanish-speaking world and I think our students should get to know both sides - Europe and Latin America. The advantage Spain has is its location and ease for students to visit other places within Europe. It's also usually much safer than many Latin American countries, even though it's further away for us in North Carolina. Spain also has images of bull-fighting, flamenco, and a vibrant nightlife, which are quite "sexy" to American students.
Could you describe the Study Abroad programs your university has with Spain?
We do our own short-term faculty led programs to different countries and we are going to Spain and Morocco in 2012. Our students have also gone on CIEE programs to Spain.
How satisfied are, in general, American students going/studying in Spain?
It would be nice if our students didn't have to go to Washington DC for an in-person interview for the visa. Other than that, I think our students are quite satisfied with their experiences there. I know I was!
