On May 27th at 1:30pm, over one hundred people gathered to celebrate SPO seniors, certificate students and prize winners in the beautiful Chancellor Green Rotunda! 

Congratulations to the graduating seniors from the Department of Spanish & Portuguese: Francis Barth, Robert Britt, Aaron Brzezinski, Lilly Costello, Carrington Johnson, Sydney Johnson, Jackson Lehner, Clariza Macaspac, and Mariela Mancia Pineda.

Students, family, friends, faculty, and staff were welcomed with opening remarks by Christina Lee, Acting Chair.  She was followed by Rafael Cesar, Director of Undergraduate Studies, who continued in the recognition of our graduating seniors and certificate students. Various professors who were in attendance presented the following students with well-deserved prizes:

Departmental Prizes:

Premio Ángel Rama
For excellence by a first-year or sophomore in advanced Spanish courses.
Annalisa Jenkins '27

Prêmio Machado de Assis
For excellence in advanced undergraduate Portuguese courses.
Olivia McGoldrick '26

Premio María Zambrano
For an outstanding Junior Paper in the Department.
Emilia Santianni '25

Premio Angel G. Loureiro
For significant international research and experience for a junior or senior.
Carrington Johnson '24

Ronald Surtz Prize
For best independent work on Early Modern studies by a junior or senior major.
Clariza Macaspac '24

Ricardo Piglia Best Senior Thesis Prize
For best senior thesis in the department
Clariza Macaspac '24

University Prizes:

Vicente Llorens Castillo Senior Prize in Spanish
For overall academic excellence by a graduating senior.
Aaron Brzezinski '24

University Center for Human Values Prize
For the thesis that best applies ethical reasoning to advance our understanding of human values. 
Aaron Brzezinski '24

Dean Hank Dobin Prize from ProCES
For students whose outstanding thesis best engages a community audience
Robert Britt '24

Congratulations also to SPO certificate students for successful completion of their studies:

Spanish certificate students: 
Sofia Simone Baran, Giorgio Battigaglia, Jessica-Ann Osaretin Ereyi, Jen Estes, Zaiya Patel Gandhi, Faraaz Ahmed Godil, Andi Grene, John Hart, Victoria Merengwa, Jackie T. Kajubi Namala, Katrina Shelly Nix, Tony Owens, Jiyoun Roh, Bridgette Marie Schafer, Lindsay Sharman, Luz Victoria B Simon Jasso, Owen Whitney Travis, and Aaron Mario Ventresca.

Portuguese certificate students: 
Kateri Caridad Espinosa, Madeline Rosabella Farrar and Elise Hogan.

Access brochure and more images:

Access Class Day 2024 brochure

Check out more photos on SPO's Instagram  and Facebook.