Hands shook, smiles were met and scholarships were awarded during the Second Annual Javelina Alumni Meet and Greet event hosted by the Language and Literature department on April 17.
The event welcomed intellect and creativity as students were able to showcase some of their work in creative reading and writing and hear the work and experiences of others in the arts.
A total of eight alumni shared their experience at TAMUK and talked about the relevance in being able to articulate and express themselves through language and the written word.
The alumni group invited were all diversified, having majored in English, French and Spanish. They all spoke about the importance of language and how their experience at TAMUK impacted their life professionally.
“I learned not only how to do things like close-reading and writing and being an academic, but I learned how to find passion for art outside of just what English is…and that was not just in the arts but in the community that it gave me. Thank you for giving us a place to become a community ‘cause that’s what this department did for me,” said Katherine Orozco, TAMUK alumnus.
Alumni expressed how knowing more than one language, or simply exploring one language in depth, can be extremely rewarding.
The Language and Literature Department encouraged students to discover art and the expressiveness found within different languages.
During the event Ty Dietz, a local Corpus Christi songwriter and performer, was a featured. Premature Punchline, a group of students on campus, also made an appearance by performing improv comedy.
Both groups showcased artistry and allowed for the power of words to be presented in a distinct manner.
“Sometimes things you can’t communicate well, you can say it better in another language…knowing multiple languages is a valuable asset to have. It is important to encourage students about expressiveness, liberal education and the value of study,” said Cindy Schwing, TAMUK alumni.
The creativity, academic excellence and the motivation to pursue a degree in the field of language and literature was acknowledged by the Language and Literature Department and Javelina alumnus.
Rafael Coutin, an alumni, was able to award five students with the Lourdes F. Coutin Scholarship in honor of his mother.
Several other scholarships such as the David and Sue Sabrio English Scholarship and Francis Alexander Scholarship were awarded, all recognizing the talent and passion of the 11 scholarship recipients.
“Looking at the next generation of language and literature students… The written word is so important, because no matter what you do as a job if you are sending a memo or you are sending an email, whoever is reading that, your words, they are going to decide how serious to take you… I think the written word is in danger of extinction with all the technology that we have, and all of us who are students of language and literature, we are conservationists of a medium,” said Nathan Fugate, TAMUK alumnus.