2012-2013 Profiles
Beth Douglass (Spanish and IBAC, '12)
Beth is from Chattanooga, where she graduated from Notre Dame High School. Even while working on two degrees at Tech (B.A. in Spanish and B.S. in International Business and Cultures), she managed to find time to participate in many activities. She completed her University Academic Scholarship service hours in the Dept. of Foreign Languages and in the International Education Office; she was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi National Interdisciplinary Honor Society, the International Business Society (vice-president), Amigos Spanish Club, Avant Garde French Club (treasurer), and the Intramural Volleyball and Soccer Teams; and she was active in Newman Campus Ministry.
In addition to belonging to the above organizations, Beth took part in the TTU Honors Program. She also received the 2012 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Liberal Arts Award, and was a 2012 Derryberry Award Finalist.
Beth also studied abroad three times: one month in Finland, one semester in Costa Rica, and two semesters in Valencia, Spain. She says, "Studying abroad was the highlight of my program of study. One of my favorite semesters was when I was able to extend my studies to a second semester in Spain and gain another valuable learning experience by participating in the European Industrial Management program. During the second semester, I also worked with the owner of a Spanish wine company and became the project leader responsible for developing a strong company image in order to prepare their products for the international market. As a team, we worked very well together and were able to use our different backgrounds to our advantage. Not only were we from different parts of the world (Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the United States), but also we had experiences in different areas of study (Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, and International Business). Each of us brought different talents, perspectives, values, and experiences to the work of the team... These experiences proved to be enlightening and liberating, and have opened my eyes to the world around me."
After graduation, Beth is working on her M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication and International Marketing at Newcastle University in England. Her long-term goal is to work for an international company using her language skills.
At the time of her TTU graduation, Beth also wrote: I feel very lucky to have had such great support, encouragement, and inspiration from the Department of Foreign Languages."
Rachel Evans (German and Professional Communications, '12)
Rachel is from Lebanon, Tennessee, and was homeschooled through the Frances Schaeffer Study Center in Mt. Juliet. At TTU she was inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma, the Foreign Languages National Honor Society, and was also active in Der Deutsche Klub (German Club), where she held the posts of secretary, vice-president, and president at various times throughout her college career.
Rachel also had the opportunity to travel to Germany three times through the Department of Foreign Languages, and credits much of her success to these experiences abroad. She says, "I have been very fortunate with my opportunities to travel... I had those experiences not only because of the travel scholarship program which pays for students' flights [through the Study Abroad program in the International Education Office], but also the incredible encouragement I have had from past and current faculty members [in the Dept. of Foreign Languages] to pursue opportunities abroad. It was the foreign experience and my time abroad that gave me the confidence to make German my major... Looking back at my experience studying German at Tennessee Tech, I feel very appreciative of the level of attention and encouragement I had from the faculty. I always felt that hard work was noticed and rewarded, and that my professors had my best interests in mind."
Courtney Hard (Spanish, '12)
Courtney is from McMinnville, Tennessee, where she graduated from Boyd Christian High School. She has been on several week-long mission trips to Honduras, one summer-long mission trip to Honduras, and mission trips to Baja Mexico.
Courtney has accepted an 11-month internship at an orphanage in Ecuador. She is uncertain of her long-term plans, but hopes to work in a missions-related field.
Rachel Powelson (Spanish with Teaching Licensure, '12)
Rachel is from Fayetteville, Tennessee, and graduated from Lincoln County High School there. During her time at Tennessee Tech she was a member of the Amigos Spanish Club, and was also inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma, the National Foreign Languages Honor Society.
Rachel spent two months in Acapulco, Mexico, as an intern in a children's home. She also used her language skills as a Spanish tutor for a family in Cookeville.
She wrote, "Immediately after graduating, I plan on working abroad with Wycliffe Bible Translators as a linguistics worker; I do not know yet what country I will be working in. My career plans involve studying linguistics in grad school and possibly working with Wycliffe long-term."
Ellen Davita Martin (Spanish, '12; English, '11)
Ellen considers Cookeville her hometown. She graduated from Upperman High School in Baxter. While at TTU she was inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma, the National Foreign Languages Honor Society. She also worked with the Tennesssee Migrant Education Program, tutoring children in families who recently moved to the area.
Ellen studied abroad in Murcia, Spain for one semester. She also spent two months doing missions work in Mexico.
At the time of her graduation Ellen wrote, "I have had a wonderful experience at Tech as a Spanish major. All of my professors have been outstanding, and I feel that I've learned a great deal about the language, culture, and literature of Spanish-speaking countries."
Joshua Dale Martin (Spanish, '12; English, '10)
Josh is a native of Bloomington Springs, Tennessee, and graduated from Jackson County High School in Gainesboro. While at TTU, Josh was a member of Alpha Mu Gamma (National Foreign Languages Honor Society), Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Tau Delta, and Amigos Spanish Club. In Spring 2011 he received the Frederick Heina Memorial Scholarship through the Department of Foreign Languages. In Fall 2012, he received the W.B. and F.W. Carlen Memorial Scholarship. During his time as an English major, he received the Coca-Cola Partners Scholarship, the William Jenkins Creative Writing Scholarship, the Charles Denson Daniel Memorial Scholarship, and the A.W. and Hilda Singer Scholarship, and was also a winner of the Golden Eagle Scholarship/Writing Competition.
In Spring 2011, Josh volunteered as a translator and tutor at Jere Whitson Elementary School for Hispanic children. In the summer of 2011, Josh and his wife, Ellen, volunteered to teach English to Spanish-speaking immigrants at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. He also worked with the State of Tennessee's Migrant Education Program, tutoring Hispanic children of all ages in many subjects.
During Fall Semester 2011, Josh and Ellen studied in Murcia, Spain, through ISEP. They were able to visit a number of areas in Spain, including Madrid, Sevilla, Toledo, and Alicante. And Josh and Ellen were married in Gibraltar!
Josh was accepted into the M.A./Ph.D. Spanish program at the University of Kentucky, where he will teach undergraduate Spanish courses as well as do graduate work.
Upon his second graduation from TTU, Josh wrote,"My fluency improved dramatically during and after my time in Spain... and along the way I made some of the best friends I could have asked for... Studying abroad was definitely the best decision I made during my time as a Spanish major... I have enjoyed every minute of my time as a Spanish major at TTU. I feel very strongly prepared by the Spanish faculty and have only good things to report."
