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"Thanks to the Elizabeth Brower Fund, I had the privilege of presenting at the 11th National Symposium as a Heritage Language expert. This symposium serves as a dynamic intellectual forum dedicated to discussing and advancing education and research to better support the strengths and diverse pedagogical needs of Spanish heritage bilingualism in the United States. My participation allowed me to engage with scholars, educators, and practitioners from various fields who are passionate about Spanish heritage education. I had the invaluable opportunity to share insights and exchange ideas on effective teaching methodologies for heritage language learners. This includes innovative approaches, new teaching strategies, and the incorporation of cultural and linguistic resources tailored to Spanish heritage speakers." --Edgar Vargas Blanco, Teaching Assistant Professor

"Thanks to the Elizabeth Brower fund I had the opportunity to attend the International Conference on Creative Education and Practice in Barcelona, Spain. This experience helped me greatly with my own personal and professional development as a Spanish language educator. I was able to attend many paper presentations in order to learn about creative practices to implement into my own classrooms such as creative writing, which will be fun to include for language learners. The conference also had talks related to social emotional learning and teaching in a post-Covid world which is very helpful at this point in time. Finally, having the opportunity to travel to Barcelona for the conference has also been a great opportunity to learn more about Spanish culture first hand and I’m excited to share my experiences with my students!"--Madison Elson, MA '24

"The SWCOLT has been a great experience. It was the first time I attended a conference on language teaching. The atmosphere was incredible, very international, a little Babel. Many fellow teachers and professors from different Southwest schools, colleges and universities to meet and share experiences and challenges with. The exhibitors attending the conference were also very attractive: textbooks, professional journals, study abroad programs, digital tools for teachers and students. The sessions and presentations in general were very interesting, sometimes a little overwhelming by the impossibility of attending more than one of my interests that happened at the same time. SWCOLT has helped me to encourage proficiency through Mindfulness, use new methods, strategies and tools in teaching and proficiency activities, getting students more engaged in class, improve students' classroom participation, explore more on equality and inclusion. SWCOLT is a recommendable experience and a great way to meet colleagues from different places and languages, but above all a unique opportunity to improve the teaching of Spanish as a second language thanks to the��Elizabeth Brower fellowship."--��José Luis Toledano, PhD '27

"Thanks to the Elizabeth Brower fund, I had the opportunity to attended SWCOLT (Southwest Conference on Language Teaching), which is an annual conference that focuses on promoting language learning and teaching. At SWCOLT,�� I attended a variety of workshops and presentations on topics related to innovative pedagogical approaches and cultural competence, among others. One of the presentations was on using authentic resources in the language classroom. I believe using authentic materials can increase students' motivation and engagement in the learning process, so I was looking forward to learning the presenter’s stance on the topic. He shared different types of materials, such as songs and newspaper articles, and gave us practical ideas on how to integrate them into our lesson plans. He explained how to choose materials that are appropriate for different proficiency levels and provided tips on how to scaffold them effectively. As a result of attending this session, I felt more confident in my ability to choose and use authentic resources effectively in the classroom. Attending the conference provided me with practical tools and resources to enhance my teaching practices. Furthermore, SWCOLT also offers many networking opportunities, as I had a chance to connect with peers and share experiences. Overall, I found SWCOLT to be an amazing experience."--Antonio Berbel Viudez, MA '24

"Attending the ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in Boston was truly inspiring and stimulating. During the convention, I was constantly encouraged to rethink my role as an educator working with young people, as well as the ultimate goals of language teaching in an increasingly connected and globalized world. Through participation in some of the many workshops I was exposed to new ideas, approaches, and tools that I am planning on bringing to my classroom. I especially enjoyed learning about incorporating the United Nation’s SDGs and experiential methodologies into language teaching and I would like to thank the Elizabeth Brower Fund for the opportunity to participate in this fantastic conference." --Ula Adamska, MA '23

"During my entire BA, I often saw that the professors whom I admired the most attended teaching conferences—in particular ACTFL—on a yearly basis. The Elizabeth Brower fund has granted me the opportunity to join some of the best instructors of languages around the world at the 2020 Virtual ACTFL Conference. This was my first conference experience, and it was incredibly enriching to be able to hear what other professors have implemented in their classrooms, especially during the challenging times of COVID. It was a welcoming and nurturing environment where there were numerous things to learn and to be able to implement into my own Spanish classroom". --Regina Tom, MA '22

"I am very thankful to the Elizabeth Brower fund for allowing me to further my training as a Spanish teacher in the United States, since I attended the CCFLT 2020 conference in Loveland, Colorado, in February 2020. It was my first conference ever as an attendee, but I had previously collaborated in the organization of others. It was also the first time ever I presented in front of an audience that was not made of classroom peers and it felt really good. I loved that I had the chance to attend different workshops about different ways of including typically boring topics, like grammar and other materials, in a fun and engaging way for the students in the foreign language classroom."����--Edu Montes Romero, MA '21

"I would like to thank the Elizabeth Brower Fund for giving me the opportunity to attend the NECTFL 2021 Conference. I have been planning to attend this conference since I first learned about its main topic: “Finding our voice: World Languages for Social Justice.” In the current world we live in, I think it is essential to do our parts as language instructors to include social justice in our classrooms and do what we can in order to contribute to make the world a better place. Even if I have attended many teaching conferences and workshops in the past, it was the first time I participated in an event organized by NECTFL. As a lifelong learner and Spanish instructor, I can’t wait to incorporate what I have learned from other teachers’ experiences on teaching languages together with issues of social justice, inclusion, positive learning environment, and interculturality. Thank you so much again to the Elizabeth Brower Fund!" --Lucía Escamilla González, MA '21