New Faces at Romance Languages

Department Social-December 2004

From the perspective of many of our undergraduate students, the fall is a time of renewal in the list of teachers' names, which often translates not only into new teaching styles, new attitudes about the treatment of errors and, to a lesser extent, new standards in the evaluation of learners' performance, but also new human qualities, demeanors, personalities, as well as new cultural backgrounds. Such a sense of novelty at the undergraduate level of instruction is received often with excitement and anticipation, as well as a sense of apprehension about the new faces in front of the new names of Teaching Assistants, Lecturers and Instructors.

This past fall has not been an exception as a time when the Department of Romance Languages becomes invigorated and renewed by a large number of new faces joining the teaching team. We welcome all the new colleagues and extend our hand of cooperation and support.

The following is a representative sample of names and bits of information about some of the team-players who have already scored many good points helping our undergraduate students in their efforts of learning and acquiring a Romance Language.

(Robert) Shelton Bellew is a native of Lindale , Georgia . He holds a degree in Journalism from UGA and a Laurea from the Università degli Studi di Firenze in linguistics with a focus on journalism language. His thesis, "A Comparison of the Italian Press with the US : Two Different Ways of News Handling," has just been published in Italy . While in Italy Shelton owned and ran a tour business, Bellew's Tours Italia s.r.l. in Florence , and wrote tour guides for some popular Italian cities. He is currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant in French and Italian working toward a Ph.D. in Romance Languages. His hobbies are eating, drinking wine in good company, geopolitics, newspaper reading, and exercising when he can find the time. Coming back to Athens was a reverse culture shock for Shelton : “I am amazed at how well organized the University is with its bus system, married housing services, our IT support team in the department, etc. So many of our services work like a Swiss watch in comparison to other universities that I have seen.”

Fernán Cerrón-Palomino is currently a Spanish instructor. He is originally from Lima, Perú, S.A. where he received his BA in Anthropology from Universidad Católica. He also received an MA in Spanish Linguistics from Arizona State University where he wrote a thesis on language attitudes towards first names in Perú. Fernán comes from a family of linguists; his father is a renowned expert on Andean languages who has done intensive research in the area. Currently, a Spanish instructor, Fernán enjoys the atmosphere at the Romance Languages Department. He is pleased to learn that there is a large Hispanic community inside and outside UGA and would like to become involved in programs for this community. While Fernán enjoys the variety of food types in Downtown Athens, he still misses Peruvian traditional food. In his spare time he is an avid reader and enjoys listening to music.

Sonia Clay , originally from Columbus , GA , is a graduate from Wesleyan College , a private women's college in Macon , GA. Upon her arrival to UGA, Sonia took notice of what she found to be an enormous campus where she still finds it challenging to find her way every now and then. She is currently in the Master's Spanish program, with a concentration in literature. In her free time Sonia enjoys listening to music, singing and dancing.

Shanye LeShan Crawford was born in New Jersey but was raised in Georgia . She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a concentration in Spanish literature and French linguistics. Presently she is a Spanish instructor. Upon her arrival in Athens as a freshman she was taken by her new sense of freedom. Shanye is a pizza lover. In her free time she enjoys ultimate Frisbee and then, to relax she enjoys reading and writing.

Melinda Cro is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Romance Languages (French and Italian). She is working on an MA in Literature and is teaching French. She was born in Hamilton , Ontario , Canada but her family now lives in Bristol , Tennessee where she attended King College as an undergraduate with a double major in French and Theatre. The first thing that caught her attention when she arrived in Athens was the downtown and UGA. She finds them very attractive and always bustling with activity. Her hobbies include theatre, music, and writing.

Omar Gil Pérez is originally from Trujillo , a city in Northern Perú , SA. He is a 1998 graduate from the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Perú. Prior to his arrival in Athens , Omar was an English Teacher at the English Language Institute in Trujillo . What first caught his attention when he first came to Athens was an apparent lack of public transportation throughout the city. He is very happy at UGA in his double role of graduate student and teaching graduate assistant of Spanish.

Ezequiel Hoyos is originally from Valencia , Spain . His academic interests have brought him to pursue graduate studies in Spanish linguistics. He is having a great time at UGA, studying and working as hard as he can. Ezequiel follows Frederick Douglass' dictum of "No struggle, No progress.” When he first arrived, he fell in love…with the Southern hospitality of Athens and its people. Although his favorite dish is the Paella Valenciana he finds soul food just delicious. He likes playing basketball, listening to hip-hop music, R&B, Gospel, Dance Hall and Zouk. He also enjoys Bulldawg games and going “club hopping” around Atlanta .

Alessandra Cristina Lousada de Carvalho is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Portuguese. She is originally from Brasília, the capital of Brazil , and graduated from Kennesaw State University , with a major in Social Work. She worked for a year for the Cobb County School District as an Area Facilitator (a translator, interpreter, and an advocate for Brazilian families in the area). The first thing that struck her of Athens was the number of homeless people downtown. She enjoys spending her free time with her family, boyfriend, going to the movies, listening to music, and dancing.

Rosaria Mangiavillano is an Instructor of Italian from Sicily . She arrived in Athens in the middle of the semester because of a visa problem; and even if at first she encountered the usual inconveniences of latecomers, she felt right at home in the city. She says that her instinct and the lure of the local rock group REM brought her to Athens . She finds this, her first teaching experience at an American college, enjoyable, interesting, and stimulating. She loves to travel and to see new places and meet different people.

Norma Montalván is a native of Perú , S.A. Trujillo is her hometown where she had lived most of her life before coming to Athens . She is a graduate from Universidad Nacional de Trujillo where she studied English and German. She has experience teaching English in a bilingual school in Perú, and has traveled to Great Britain where she worked as a Spanish Assistant in a school in London . Norma is currently a Teaching Graduate Assistant of Spanish 2001, and she is enrolled in the Master's program with concentration in Spanish linguistics. She was pleasantly surprised by the multicultural diversity she found at UGA. Yet she was surprised by the scarcity of public transportation throughout the city of Athens . After only one semester in Georgia , Norma already misses many things from her homeland: its delicious food, its beaches, and its friendly people. In her free time she likes listening to jazz music.

Jason Robinson grew up in California but has been an Atlantan for the past twelve years. Prior to enrolling in the UGA Romance Languages graduate program (Spanish and Portuguese) with concentration in literature and linguistics, Jason had been a software engineer at a medical recognition software firm. When he first came to Athens he was pleasantly surprised by the inexpensive but very good restaurants. He is fond of eating “taquitos.” If Jason had time from his duties as Spanish Teaching Assistant and graduate student, he'd most likely spend it reading, painting and working out.

Byron H. Warner (a.k.a. Joey) received his B.A. from Belmont University in 1999, and his MA in Spanish from the University of Kentucky at Lexington in 2002. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Medieval Spanish literature. While Joey is originally from Nashville , Tennessee , he has a family history in Athens . His brother is a UGA graduate, and so is his father. Also, Joey's grandfather was a professor of music in UGA's music college. Joey says that his favorite food all comes from the street of Mexico : elotes, lonches and churros (all in one meal if possible). The little spare time he has he likes to spend with his new friends with whom he has bonded during the copious and anxious hours shared in the Gilbert Hall computer lab.

Kimberly Welsh is an Instructor of French originally from Roswell , Georgia . She got her B.A. in French and German, and her M.A. in French literature, both at UGA. She enjoys her free time playing with her dog and cat, spending time with friends, or reading the English-language books she did not have time to read while studying foreign languages. She also enjoy jogging when the weather is warm. Last year she worked as a temporary administrative employee in an engineering firm and as a part-time adjunct at the Watkinsville campus of Gainesville College . She is thrilled to be back at the UGA.