Nine new students were inducted into Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society. The society honors those who both seek and attain excellence in the study of Spanish language, literature, and culture. During the 2015-2016 school year, 19 students were inducted into Sigma Delta Pi.

This year, nine new students were inducted into the college’s Omicron Rho chapter on April 27, 2017. The new members include Katie Duane, Amanda Young, Emily Craig, Cecilia Chrisom, Elizabeth Moore, Madison Sarra, Alexis Ahern, Alicia Chouinard, and Peyton Wallace.

Students had to meet a challenging set of requirements in order to be eligible for the Hispanic honors society. Students are considered for membership if they have above a 3.0 GPA, have completed at least one Spanish culture or literature course above the 300 level, and are in the top 35% of their class.

The ceremony was officiated by Spanish professor Jaime Orrego, who was assisted by senior English and Spanish double majors and members of Sigma Delta Pi, Jasmine Blais and Robbie Merritt. Blais and Merritt read two poems in Spanish: “Caminante, no hay camino” by Antonio Machado and “Miedo” by Gabriela Mistral, respectively.

Amanda Young, a senior education major and Spanish minor, spoke about her interest in the Spanish language, saying, “I have always enjoyed learning another language and find it fascinating that people can speak with each other after they’ve studied it for a long time. I’ve been studying Spanish for almost ten years now.”

Amanda studied abroad in Seville, Spain during the spring of 2016. She said that “[s]tudying Spanish definitely opened up opportunities to study abroad and I was able to go to Spain and experience an entirely different culture than my own. Staying with a homestay family really helped to improve my speaking skills and I am so grateful for the opportunities that Spanish has given me.”

Katie Duane, a senior nursing major and Spanish minor who was also inducted into the society, said, “My interest in Spanish began in high school and continued into college. I filled any holes in my schedule with Spanish classes and I have been able to get a Spanish minor to accompany my nursing major. This was without a doubt a great choice. I have been able to maintain and improve my ability to understand and speak Spanish. It has already come in very handy and I have used the language many times when interacting and connecting with patients in the healthcare setting.”

The Hispanic honor society promotes the awareness and acknowledgment of these opportunities and the accomplishments of its members. The society was founded at the University of California, Berkeley in 1919 by Ruth Barnes. Saint Anselm’s Omicron Rho chapter was founded in 1984.