Where are they Wednesdays: Stories of UNCW Spanish Alumni

Melanie Forehand Class of 2014 - Spanish MA

Why did you study Spanish?

I was initially drawn to doing a Masters Degree at UNCW because of how well structured their program is. I liked that they offered a broad variety of classes in literature, culture, issues in second language acquisition, and pedagogy.

How do you use Spanish now?

I am a PhD Candidate in Spanish at Vanderbilt University. My graduate work allows me to use Spanish for researching, teaching, collaborating with other instructors, and working with undergraduate students. I am currently finishing up my dissertation, which centers on parabolic representations of exile among the Spanish Civil War exiles living in Mexico. I am also working as the Program Assistant at the Center for Second Language Studies at Vanderbilt, where I promote teaching and studying foreign language, coordinate pedagogy in-services, lead teaching with technology workshops, and organize cultural events. Lastly, I use Spanish as a Mellon Fellow for Digital Humanities. My primary digital project is an online repository for free foreign language lesson plans called Language Panda.