Hispanics were given a spotlight as Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, held its student symposium on Friday, April 12, at Sam Fore Hall.
“It’s an open forum where people can express their ideas and the hard work that they’ve done and people can come and ask questions about the research and every semester we have a guest speaker, but it’s always something different,” Natasha Lara, vice president of Sigma Delta Pi and a Spanish major, said.
At the symposium various students and faculty were able to present their findings, ideas, expressions and work in front of others.
Isabel Cordova, professor of Latin America and Latino History at Nazareth College in New York, was the guest keynote speaker. She presented her research, “Ways of Knowing, Ways of Living: The Shifting Assumptions and Care of the Birthing Body in Late Twentieth Century Puerto Rico.” The exploration delved into the aspect of midwifery in Puerto Rico which sparked interest in various students.
After her presentation Cordova hoped she inspired students to offer up their own ideas.
“I would like for people to see me and be like, ‘Oh there are other Latinas, especially Latina women, that can do things and can stand up at the podium and be asked questions.’ So I would like to be a mentor or hopefully inspire younger people,” Cordova said.
Sigma Delta Pi aims to honor those who attain excellence in the study of the Spanish language and in the study of literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking people. They also encourage students to acquire a greater interest and deeper understanding of Hispanic culture. The society was founded by Ruth Barnes and established on Nov. 4, 1919, at the University of California in Berkeley. Later this year the organization will celebrate its 100 year anniversary.
“It creates an opportunity to exchange ideas, commingle, refine communication skills and create a culture of academic development, and we want to foster that so students can have more opportunities within our department,” Dr. Marco Iniguez, professor in department of language and literature and faculty advisor of Sigma Delta Pi, said.