News from campus and beyond

Modern Languages & Literatures collaborates with Hispanic Alliance

|||McKenna Luzysnki|Daniyal Roshan

Last updated April 21, 2017

By News administrator

The Furman Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) has established the Hispanic Alliance – Furman University Fellowship (HA-FU), a collaborative effort with Greenville’s Hispanic Alliance whose mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Greenville community by coordinating initiatives and building collaborations among service providers, the Hispanic members of the community, and the community at large.

Together, Furman and Hispanic Alliance have selected three HA-FU fellows for the upcoming academic year. The rising Furman seniors are Susannah Lauber (Wheaton, Ill.), McKenna Luzynski (Roanoke, Va.), and Daniyal Roshan (Braselton, Ga.).

The students were chosen based on their previous experience working collaboratively with Greenville’s Hispanic community, their academic training as Spanish majors through MLL, and their respective professional goals. Fellows will receive a stipend of $1,500 for 32 weeks of work during the 2017-18 academic year. They will also receive credit for two, two-hour courses (one fall, one spring).

HA-FU fellows will collaborate with Hispanic Alliance’s staff and volunteer leadership to achieve strategic goals and increase operational efficiency. They will also help plan and execute initiatives that provide vital services to the Hispanic community in Greenville County, which accounts for about nine percent of the population.

Hispanic Alliance unites the largest network of agencies and individuals working collaboratively to advance Hispanic communities across the Upstate.

A 501c3 nonprofit organization, Hispanic Alliance acts as a connector to facilitate collaborations across cultures and languages. The Hispanic Alliance unites the largest network of agencies and individuals working collaboratively to advance Hispanic communities across the Upstate.

Adela Mendoza, Executive Director of the organization, explains that the HA-FU fellowship “has emerged from our mutual commitment to embrace and leverage the cultural richness and diversity in our community to build a more inclusive and equitable society. Today more than ever, we need to foster well-rounded, informed leaders able to understand and tackle the complex challenges of a global era,” says Mendoza.

Idaly Partridge and Sara Montero-Buria of Hispanic Alliance, along with Mendoza, have worked closely with MLL professors Bryan Betancur, Sofía Kearns, and Stephanie Knouse to make this fellowship a reality for students. Says Betancur, “We are very excited about this initiative, which will further strengthen the relationship between Furman and Hispanic Alliance. More importantly, it will give three exceptional students the chance to gain valuable professional and cultural experiences while serving Greenville’s Hispanic community.” Kearns adds that the fellowship aligns “perfectly with The Furman Advantage university goals of strengthening our involvement with local and global communities.”

For more information, contact Linda B. Bartlett, Professor and Chair of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish) at 864-294-3388, or linda.bartlett@furman.edu. Or contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

Contact Us
Clinton Colmenares
Director of News and Media Strategy