In Memoriam: Sidney J. Williams Jr., Professor of Romance Languages Emeritus
Williams taught Spanish at Washington and Lee University for 40 years.
Spanish Archive (67 Stories)
Antonio Reyes Publishes New Book
The professor of Spanish co-authored a book titled “Understanding the Language of Virtual Interaction,” that was released in August 2025.
Seth Michelson to Discuss His New Book, ‘Hope on the Border: Immigration, Incarceration, and the Power of Poetry’
Michelson’s discussion will be held Thursday, Nov. 6 in Northen Auditorium.
Ellen Mayock Speaks at Centennial Celebration of Carmen Martín Gaite and Co-Edits Volume
The Ernest Williams II Professor of Romance Languages shares her research on the Spanish author.
W&L Outcomes: Luke Avigliano ’25
Avigliano is studying for the MCAT this summer and then will be working as a scribe for a pediatrician.
Seth Michelson Set to Publish New Book in October
The associate professor of Spanish shares the stories of undocumented youth held in detention centers and refugee camps in the United States and Mexico.
W&L Army ROTC Student Earns Prestigious Award While Completing Basic Training
Kylee Cross ’27 received the Soldier Leader of the Cycle Award at her graduation ceremony on August 1.
W&L Outcomes: Kathleen Roberts ’24
Roberts is pursuing her doctorate in educational psychology through the LIME program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
W&L’s Kathleen Roberts ’24 Earns Spot Among LIME Scholars
Roberts will pursue her doctorate at Southern Methodist University through the selective leadership program.
Leading By Example
Ben Bankston ’25 is finding opportunities at W&L to challenge himself in and out of the classroom.
CBL Faculty Collaborative Generates New Community Connections
The 2023-2024 academic year at W&L saw the proliferation of several new course offerings for students through a new faculty development initiative offered by the Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL).
W&L’s Gillian Holloway ’24 Earns Fulbright to Spain
Holloway was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Spain.
Meet Emma Conover ’24
Leading Campus Kitchen, a student-run organization focused on addressing food insecurity, has been a rewarding experience.
W&L’s Seth Michelson Quoted in NPR Segment About a Film Documentary
The Spanish professor appears as a faculty expert in the film that debuted at the Virginia Film Festival last month.
W&L Presents ‘Selections from The Lindsay Webster Collection of Cuban Posters at Wofford College’
The show will be on display in Wilson Hall’s Lykes Atrium in conjunction with Esteban Ramón Pérez’s solo exhibition “Distorted Myths,” which will be on view in the Staniar Gallery Oct. 10 through Nov. 2.
Summer Opportunities: Internships Abroad
Despite challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, many students were able to travel this summer for valuable professional experience in other countries.
W&L ESOL Hosts Summer Enrichment Program
Programa SOL, a three-week program for local bilingual youth, focused on language and literacy development, swimming lessons, active games and visits with community partners.
W&L’s Janey Fugate ’15 Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship
Fugate will use her graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation to study the migration patterns of bison in Yellowstone National Park.
W&L’s Erin Addison ’22 Awarded Fulbright to Uruguay
Addison has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Uruguay, where she will teach English to primary or secondary school students and serve as a cultural ambassador for the United States.
W&L’s Ellen Mayock Presented at the Carmen Laforet Conference and Exhibition
The Instituto Cervantes invited Professor Mayock to Spain to speak at the inaugural event for the Centenary Celebration of Carmen Laforet in March 2022.
Program Spotlight: Center for International Education – Study Abroad
Approximately 70% of students participate in an abroad program during their time at W&L.
Meet the Professor: Jayne Reino
Jayne Reino is a visiting assistant professor of Spanish at Washington and Lee University.
W&L’s Pinto-Bailey Publishes English Translation of Novel
The novel “Ursula” is Brazil's first abolitionist novel and the first novel by an Afro-Brazilian woman.
W&L’s Iana Konstantinova Publishes Anthology
The anthology consists of 15 essays in Spanish and English that offer a fresh look at Spanish metafiction, not just in literature but also in television, film, theatre, photography and art.
W&L’s Pinto-Bailey’s Work Featured in Literary Journal
Professor Cristina Pinto-Bailey recently published an essay on Black Brazilian feminisms and translated four pieces by Afro-Brazilian writers.
W&L’s Michelson Delivers Keynote at Southern Connecticut State University
Professor Seth Michelson completed a weeklong virtual residency and gave the keynote address on social justice at Southern Connecticut State University.
New Exhibit Illustrates Perilous Path to Opportunity
Hostile Terrain 94, a global pop-up exhibit that takes a powerful look at the human cost of undocumented migration at the U.S. southern border, opened at W&L this week after years of planning and collaboration.
Four W&L Students Present at TESOL 2021 Convention
Under Ellen Mayock's direction, student members of W&L's English for Speakers of Other Languages group will present at the virtual conference on March 25.
A Mile With You
Norman Kim-Senior ’05 has created a COVID Memorial Walk and Run to foster community, support local nonprofits and mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.
W&L’s Julia Poppenberg ’19 Awarded Fulbright Grant to Argentina
Poppenberg has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Argentina starting in March 2022.
Tracking Patterns in the Pandemic
Jennifer Beam Dowd ’96 is co-managing a Facebook page, “Dear Pandemic,” to provide evidence-based advice about COVID-19 to a general audience.
Facilitating Community-Driven Communication
The ESOL program at W&L, founded in 2001 to facilitate communication in the local community, now serves dozens of non-native English speakers each year with teaching, tutoring, translation and interpretation services.
W&L’s Caroline Rivers ’20 Awarded Fulbright-García Robles Grant to Mexico
Rivers has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico starting January 2021.
‘Crossings’ Brings W&L and Lexington Community Together
A new play by Professor Domnica Radulescu gives voice to local immigrants.
Steeped in a New Culture
Spending the summer in Nicoya, Costa Rica, helped Montgomery Owen '21 to strengthen his Spanish language skills.
Summer in Beautiful Nicoya
Sydney Lee '21 spent summer 2019 studying Spanish and falling in love with the town of Nicoya, Costa Rica.
W&L’s Mayock Co-Authors Spanish Textbook
Ellen Mayock, the Ernest Williams II Professor of Spanish at Washington and Lee University, co-authored a Spanish textbook, “Indagaciones.”
Snapshots from Spring Term
Our favorite term is well underway! Here is a glimpse inside some of the many fascinating courses being taught off-campus this year.
Special Edition of Pluma Features Local Immigrants’ Stories
Edwin Castellanos Campos '20 came up with the idea for the special edition after taking a Spring Term sociology/anthropology course about U.S. immigration and refugees.
Barnett to Give Inaugural Lecture for Endowed Professorship
The title of Barnett’s talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Lost (And Found Again) in Translation.”
Radical Rebirth
Beth Staples reinvents W&L's Shenandoah magazine with a commitment to diverse voices and intensive collaboration.
‘Catapulted into a New Country’
After spending the summer teaching and exploring in Costa Rica, Taylor Casey '20 can't wait to return.
Taking Independence to a New Level
Caroline Caruso '21 loved Costa Rica so much that she wants to open a medical practice there after graduate school.
‘My Time in Nicoya’
Daniel Rhoades '19 spent the summer immersed in the language and culture of Costa Rica.
Culture and Communication in Costa Rica
Language and culture courses at W&L prepared Marissa Miller '21 for a fun, educational trip to Nicoya, where she met the vice president of Costa Rica (left, center).
Making Space for Women
Ali Greenberg ’13 has opened a flexible workspace and social club in Richmond that emphasizes community for women and gender minorities.
Shely Awarded Fulbright Grant to Colombia
Jared Shely '18 will use the grant to continue his work teaching English to students in Latin America.
Starting a Lending Library
Edwin Castellanos '20 created a system that allows students to save money by borrowing donated textbooks.
An Education in Place
Kat Oakley '19 has spent a lot of time contemplating the idea of "place" - both in Lexington and across the world.
Connecting the Dots of the Liberal Arts
Monica Musgrave '18 is already double-majoring, but that didn't stop her from spending six-weeks in England studying two completely different subjects.
Michelson Wins NEA Fellowship for Poetry Translation
The award will help to fund a trilingual translation of poetry by Mapuche-Argentine poet Liliana Ancalao.
Immersed in Language and Culture
Caroline Rivers test drove her Spanish—and her courage in unfamiliar environments—during a summer teaching gig in Argentina.
Dreaming of Freedom
Washington and Lee Spanish professor Seth Michelson has compiled a book of poems written by incarcerated undocumented teens and translated by some of his students and him.
Greeting Opportunity with Open Arms
Shadowing doctors in Peru allowed Bryan D'Ostroph '19 to practice his Spanish and firm up future career plans in health care.
Speaking with Confidence
Julia Poppenberg '19 spent the summer as a translator in Guatemala, helping doctors and patients alike and learning to "talk strong."
A Translator, Not an Interpreter
Professor Jeff Barnett publishes a translation of Cuban poetry.
Harrison Westgarth Awarded a Fulbright Research Grant to Brazil
W&L senior Harrison Westgarth has been awarded a Fulbright grant to Brazil, where he will study the “Development of an Animal Model of Direct and Congenital Zika Virus Transmission.”
John Dannehl Awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain
W&L senior John Dannehl has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain.
W&L Helps Girl Scouts See the World — in Lexington
For World Thinking Day, W&L's foreign language teaching assistants led local Girl Scouts in a variety of internationally themed activities.
Remembering Artist Alvin Hollingsworth
Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was a leading African-American artist whose works can be seen in W&L's Leyburn Library.
Meet the Johnsons: Harrison Westgarth
Meet Harrison Westgarth '17, a pre-med varsity athlete with a passion for teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages.
From Craft to Career
As a student at Washington and Lee, Noelani Love ’05 made jewelry for fun and extra income. Today, she has turned that hobby into a thriving business.
Ellen Mayock Talks ‘Gender Shrapnel’
A discussion of "Gender Shrapnel in the Workplace," mentoring students and supporting W&L athletics.
‘Welcome’ in Seven Languages
Washington and Lee University this year welcomes seven foreign language teaching assistants.
Welcome FLTA Lucía Cespedes
Lucía Cespedes is one of seven foreign language teaching assistants at W&L this year.
Summer Abroad: Diana Banks ’15
From my time abroad I have gained insight, understanding and appreciation for the culture in Costa Rica, the people of Nicoya, and the Spanish language as a whole. Doing this has changed my thoughts and plans for the remainder of my time at W&L.
A Day in the Life: David Heinen
Johnson Opportunity Grant Recipient David Heinen Learns to Teach English in Chile
