Student Spotlight
Jesús David Ramírez Méndez, Ph.D.
THE END OF THE ROAD
After seven years of dedication and an organized work, the goal has been met.
A long time ago when I visited the U.S. for the first time as a tourist, I said to
my parents that in the future I would like to live in this country. By 2002, I began
my participation as tutor in the Texas Tech Mexico Field Course in San Luis Potosi
and was considering the opportunity to join to the university in the upcoming years.
After a period of working as sports journalist in Mexico City, I decided to come to
Texas to pursue a Master's degree in order to open the door that I was seeking for
professional development in America.
I arrived in Lubbock during the summer of 2012 with illusions and goals. As an international
student, I needed to adjust to a new culture, a new language and also, I learned how
to work efficiently in a place with different points of view, due to the diversity
of the people. Although I had some background studying English, these years have been
very valuable because I improved my vocabulary, and my communication skills. Overall,
these experiences provided me enough confidence to confront a competitive market and,
at the same time, gave me the capacity to establish good connections and relationships
with numerous individuals and organizations.
In May 2014, I graduated with a master's degree (Romance Languages in Spanish) and five years later, I earned a Ph.D. in Spanish fulfilling my goal. The road has not been easy. The Academia environment is very demanding, and I am convinced that is necessary to plan every step carefully, in order to succeed. A key factor for me was keeping balance in my life, dedicating time to studies and teaching responsibilities, but also to extracurricular activities which allowed me to stay healthy physically and mentally.
I enjoyed my semesters as student at Texas Tech because I had the opportunity to learn about the Hispanic literature, to develop my abilities as Spanish instructor, to take advantage of the Rec Center facilities, to attend different cultural activities, sports events, and amazing concerts. Additionally, I travelled to Spain a couple of times to participate in the Texas Tech Seville Study Abroad Program making an unforgettable experience for me.
I finished my journey as Red Raider with plenty of memories and satisfaction and with confidence of a promising future in the United States. In August 2019, I will start a new chapter in my life, in the state of Connecticut. I will be joining an elite and prestigious institution located in a beautiful place, in a city mid-way between Boston and New York City. I am excited because I will be teaching Spanish, Literature, and Journalism courses for which I was looking. In addition, I will make my debut as sports coach.
I want to close by saying "Thank You" to the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures for fostering my growth professionally and personally, to my professors for their contribution to my academic education, to the administrative staff for the support received, and to my classmates who were part of this journey. GUNS UP! RED RAIDER FOREVER!
Dylan Lewis, MA Languages and Cultures - German, 2019
Dylan graduated in May 2019 with a bright future ahead having been accepted to the University of Maryland doctoral English Literature program in fall of 2019. University of Maryland is according to Dylan, "a perfect fit for me given their strength in eighteenth-century literature, comparative literature." After applying to eighteen prestigious English doctoral programs of which he received twelve offers from U. of British Columbia, Texas A & M, Rice University, U of Virginia, U of Washington, Seattle just to name a few.
Dylan joined CMLL as an undergraduate Languages & Cultures-German major and going on to earn double Bachelor of Art degrees with English in May 2016. Dylan was awarded a Master of Art degree in Langauges and Cultures with a concentration in German during which he was a graduate part-time instructor in German. His teaching experiences will provide opportunities to teach German while pursuing his doctoral degree. In addition to his master's degree, he earned an Arts & Sciences Graduate Certificate in Book History.
Dylan presented a paper titled, "Forgotten Castles: Investigating Queer Potentials in Ann Radcliffe's The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne" at the South Central Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies conference in Dallas, TX in February 2019, and another paper titled, "Using Digital Humanities to Recontextualize Women Writers: Editorial Misogyny in the Publication of Sophie von La Roche's Die Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim" at the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies conference in Denver, CO in March, 2019.
Sahar Jaf Shateri, MA Languages & Cultures-Applied Linguistics, 2019
Jaf Shateri accepted a teaching position in ELA in Math and STEM for middle school in Houston, Texas beginning in fall 2019 with the goal of improving students'' English fluency in speaking and improve creativity.
Marthevienty Soumokil, MA Languages & Cultures-Applied Linguistics, 2019
"Venty" came to Texas Tech as a Fulbright Scholar and earned her master's degree in May 2019. She is returning to her homeland of Indonesia to resume her previous employment as an administrator of the language lab of a private university in her hometown. She plans to pursue a permanent teaching position because of her experience assisting EFL teaching faculty members.
Brett Stine, MA Languages & Cultures-Classics, 2019
During my time at Texas Tech, I have had a rich experience as a student, staff member, and instructor at a Tier-1 institution. My time working as an academic advisor gave me an entirely different perspective on the university and student experience. It helped me be a more empathetic and engaged teacher, and encouraged me to be an advocate of equity and inclusivity for undergraduate and graduate students alike. As a graduate student and instructor in Classics, I experienced the joys and challenges of teaching and researching in a supportive, rigorous environment. I was encouraged to present my research at a many conferences, as well as in the classroom. I am inspired by the tenacity and kindness of my fellow graduate students and our dedicated Classics faculty, who all work diligently to make Texas Tech Classics an amazing place to learn and grow. As I pursue a PhD in Classics at Columbia University in the City of New York in fall 2019, I know I am well prepared to face the various challenges I will encounter, and I am confident in my success because of my time at Texas Tech.
Graduate Student News
Jared Gaum - After graduation in August 2019, Jared will be spreading news of TTU Classics to his students at Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, GA, where he will be teaching eighth through twelfth grades, from Latin I all the way up to AP Latin.
Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures
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Address
CMLL Building, 2906 18th St, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.3145