Villegas — Fosforo | Revista

Laura Villegas Manrique (Language Assistant, Universidad de Granada)

Words of Thanks and Farewell | Palabras de agradecimiento y despedida

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Siempre recordaré cuando le dije a mi madre que tenía una entrevista para irme a EEUU un año de Language Assistant:

—¿No hay más países? —me preguntó.

Para su mal pesar decidí atravesar el charco y venir a los Estados Unidos. Me siento muy afortunada de haber podido vivir esta aventura: antes de venir yo ya sabía que tenía pasión por la enseñanza del español y mi estancia aquí solo la ha aumentado y me ha hecho creer aún más que valgo para ello. Tener la oportunidad de realizar mis clases, tener la libertad de poder moldearlas a mi forma de enseñar y constatar que a mis alumnos les ha funcionado (la mayoría de veces) y que han disfrutado mis clases, es sin duda, lo más gratificante que me llevo de esta experiencia. Además durante esta experiencia, tuve la oportunidad de acudir a mi primer congreso presencial y participar en la Academic Conference con varias de mis compañeras pudiendo mostrar un poco de nuestro trabajo a lo largo de este año.

Me gustaría agradecer a Helen (Freear-Papio, Directora Emérita del Programa de Foreign Language Assistants), Rodrigo (Fuentes) y Dan (Frost, profesores de español) por darme la oportunidad de estar aquí, gracias por escogerme en esa entrevista hace ya más de un año, al resto de departamento por hacerme sentir una más y estar disponibles cuando los he necesitado y por supuesto, en especial a mención a Carol (Blázquez, actual Directora del programa de Language Assistants) y a Sonia (Zeglen, Asistente administrativo en español), que han sido mis segundas madres aquí. Finalmente también agradecer a mis compañeras, de las cuales he aprendido y con las que he vivido esta aventura que ya ha llegado a su fin. Muchas gracias.

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I will always remember when I told my mother that I had an interview to go to the U.S. for a year as a language assistant.

“Aren’t there any other countries?” she asked me.

To her dismay, I decided to cross the Atlantic and come to the United States.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to live this adventure. Before coming, I already knew that I had a passion for teaching Spanish, and my time here has only strengthened it and made me believe even more that I am truly meant for this profession. Having the opportunity to teach my own classes, having the freedom to shape them according to my teaching style, and seeing that my students responded well (most of the time) and enjoyed my lessons is, without a doubt, the most rewarding part of this experience.

In addition, during this time I had the opportunity to attend my first in-person conference and participate in the Academic Conference with several of my colleagues, where we were able to showcase some of the work we have done throughout this year.

I would like to thank Helen, Rodrigo, and Dan for giving me the opportunity to be here—thank you for choosing me in that interview more than a year ago. I also want to thank the rest of the department for making me feel like one of the team and for always being available whenever I needed them. Of course, a very special mention goes to Carol and Sonia, who have been like second mothers to me here. Finally, I would also like to thank my colleagues, from whom I have learned so much and with whom I have shared this adventure that has now come to an end.

Thank you very much.

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Note

This reflection was offered at a farewell banquet for Language Assistants (LAs) in May, 2026.

Hosted by the Spanish Department at Holy Cross, the Language Assistants are visiting exchange students from the College’s study abroad sites in Spain and Latin America. LAs lead small, dynamic practicum sessions for language learners, study language pedagogy within the department, pursue their interests through coursework across the College, and serve as cultural ambassadors for their home communities. They also play an active role in campus life by organizing Spanish Club events and contributing to broader cultural programming.

For over thirty years, Spanish LAs were part of the broader Foreign Language Assistants (FLA) Program within the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL). When Spanish became an independent department in 2010, Program Director Prof. Helen Freear-Papio, who led the FLA Program masterfully for over two decades, ensured that FLAs continued supporting both Spanish and the newly formed Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (WLLC).

When the College announced plans to end the FLA program in 2024, an outpouring of support from thousands of students, faculty, and alumni saved it. In response, the program was restructured into distinct administrative frameworks for each department: Spanish assistants became simply LAs, while those in WLLC became ILAs (International Language Assistants), reflecting their tailored roles within each program.

The 2025–2026 LA cohort was the first to arrive under this new structure, navigating further hurdles as the U.S. government overhauled visa processes. Many of their successes were made possible by the steadfast support of Prof. Carolina (Carol) Blázquez and Academic Administrative Assistant Sonia Zeglen, mentioned above.

Número 21 — 2026

Words of Thanks and Farewell | Palabras de agradecimiento y despedida

︎︎︎ Contents | Índice

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