The Department of Romance Languages is excited to welcome five new faculty members in 2025, across three of our four languages. Priscila Catalayud-Fernández joins us as Assistant Professor of Spanish, with a research and teaching focus on the literature and film of contemporary Spain. Assistant Professors of French Maureen DeNino and Lukas Ovrom bring specializations in 19th century literature and journalism as well as medieval literature and culture.

French and Spanish major Esteban Lazaro has been named as the Department of Romance Languages' first Student Ambassador for summer orientation. A member of French National Honor Society Pi Delta Phi, Esteban studied in Montpellier last summer with UGA en France.

Eliot Westdorp, doctoral student in Romance Linguistics in the Department of Romance Languages, was recently interviewed by the Galician newspaper Faro de Vigo. He spoke to them about his dissertation research on the Galician language as it is spoken on the Illa de Arousa.

Congratulations and good luck as you step into your new role as Assistant Teaching Professor of Spanish at Brown University starting in fall 2025.

Dr. María González-Ferrer successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled "La reduplicación del clítico dativo en español: Adquisición en la L2 y variación" [Dative clitic doubling in Spanish: L2 Acquisition and variation] on May 21, 2025. ¡Enhorabuena, María! 

Cecília Rodrigues, Associate Professor of Portuguese in the Department of Romance Languages, has been awarded the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) 2025 Excellence in Language Education Award.