By Olivia Westcott
Assistant Professor of Spanish Emily Buckell at work in her office; photo by Olivia Westcott
It has been three years since the Spanish Club at Bluffton has been active, and Assistant Professor of Spanish Emily
Buckell hopes to bring it back this year.
Buckell is looking for students who are interested and want to help organize for the club. Students don’t have to be taking Spanish class to join. Those interested should email Buckell at buckelle[at]blufton.edu.
Spanish Department Assistant and Tutor Rowena Zuercher, is a double major in Spanish as well as social work. She said she plans to join the Spanish Club and is excited for it to be started up again this year.
The plan for Spanish Club this year is watching movies and just talking, since communication is a great way to learn a new language, Zuercher said.
Spanish Department Assistant and Tutor Rowena Zuercher photo by Olivia Westcott
“Just give [Spanish] a try,” Zuercher said. “A lot of people are so intimidated by the idea of trying to learn a new language because they are afraid of making mistakes, and I’ve been there, but really, you have to just jump in. And the only way to learn is to just give it a try and make mistakes along with other people who are also making mistakes.”
In bringing the club back, Buckell also said she wants to raise money for books for children in places like Mexico, Cuba and Aragua.
The two organizations that Buckell, who has been on faculty at Bluffton since 2017, has been looking at are Proyecto Akokάn in Havana, Cuba, and Cuernavaca Children’s Mission in Mexico. Proyecto Akokάn is a sociocultural organization that serves families in an underserved neighborhood in Havana. The Cuernavaca Children’s Mission uses education to help break the cycle of poverty the children are faced with.
“I really believe in the power of education,” Buckell said. “Having been an educator for a while, that is really important to me.”
