Professor Lárraga completes program in Salamanca, Spain

Maribel Lárraga, PhD, Professor of Spanish, recently completed a prestigious program at the University of Salamanca in Spain. The program, “Formación de Profesores de Español como Lengua Extranjera,” attracted 42 professors from the U.S., China, Brazil, Canada and other countries. 

Dr. Lárraga and her cohort of professors took courses from July 8 -12. The instruction helped them learn how to better teach Spanish as a foreign language.

“My purpose in attending the course was to immerse myself with other educators of Spanish, not only to spend time discussing the best pedagogical approaches but also gaining and sharing invaluable experience with educators from around the world,”  Dr. Lárraga said.

Dr. Lárraga will be on sabbatical this fall, doing research on “Language and Identity: The Politics of Spanish in the U.S.” and working on other projects. 

In The News

Recent media coverage that brought attention to OLLU:

On May 22, a story in the San Antonio Express-News about the OLLU softball team advancing to the NAIA World Series:

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/lady-lake-headed-second-straight-naia-world-series-19462071.php

On May 22, a story in a San Antonio Express-News column that quotes OLLU Spanish professor Maribel Larraga:

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/lady-lake-headed-second-straight-naia-world-series-19462071.php

On May 21, a story on KSAT-12 about recent OLLU graduate Rachel Dziuba:

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/05/21/great-graduates-rachel-dziuba-ollu

On May 21, a story in SeguinToday.com about Seguin High School baseball player Kayden Holz signing to play with OLLU:

On May 21, a story on KSAT-12 about the OLLU softball team going to the NAIA World Series:

https://www.ksat.com/sports/2024/05/22/ollu-hits-road-to-continue-national-title-quest-at-naia-world-series

Students perform well on Pilot Spanish Test

Preliminary results show that 16 Spanish majors and minors who took a Spanish Pilot Test in February scored well, ranging from “Intermediate High” to “Superior Proficiency” levels.

Administered by José Miguel Sánchez Llorente, Consejero Delegado, from the University of Salamanca in Spain, students took the exam in support of an initiative between the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the University of Salamanca and other stakeholders in Spain.

Maribel Larraga, PhD, Professor of Spanish, coordinated the group of students, compiled each student profile including individual proficiency levels, and submitted information to Sánchez Llorente for the University of Salamanca to register each student in the system before his arrival to San Antonio.“I’m very proud of our students’ performance,” Dr. Larraga said.

Dr. Lárraga has book review published in ‘Journal of South Texas’

Maribel Lárraga, PhD, Professor of Spanish, reviewed the book, “The Places of Modernity in Early Mexican American Literature, 1848-1949,” by Jose F. Aranda. The review was published in “The Journal of South Texas,” Volume 37, Number 1 in Spring 2023.

Dr. Lárraga also participated in the United Way Leadership Society Focus Group, representing OLLU in July.