February 2017

Florida State University Students (Daniela Castro, Jayda Craig and Hannah Dale) awarded the

U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad.

Ms.Castro, Ms. Craig and Ms. Dale, all students in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, were three of over 250 American undergraduate students from 154 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to study or intern abroad during the Summer 2017 Early Application cycle.  Ms. Castro will study abroad in France, Ms. Craig will study abroad in Morocco and Ms. Dale will study abroad in Spain.

Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs.  The program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad. Such international exchange is intended to better prepare U.S. students to thrive in the global economy and interdependent world. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in a career-oriented international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply.  Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies -- making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector. 

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Alejandra Gutierrez cannot resist a good post-apocalyptic novel. One of her favorites is “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel which follows a theater group trying to keep the art alive in a world nearly wiped out by a virus. As an actress and FSU professor of Spanish language and literature, Gutierrez finds a kinship to this kind of story, as she strives to keep her culture alive through theater and teaching. It’s through literature that she is able to share customs, celebrations, and values with her students, connecting them and opening their eyes to a world not so different from their own.

The Hispanic Theater is excited to debut “Anna in the Tropics,” this February at Goodwood Museum and in March in Monticello. The play follows a family running their Cuban cigar factory at the turn of the century in Ybor City, Tampa. Gutierrez will play the part of Conchita who decides to turn her life around thanks to this book. Because of the play’s strong ties to Hispanic culture, Gutierrez finds ease into slipping into her role, which shares characteristics with people she’s known.

Read the full article here.