Congratulations to Vicki Reyes Hernández, one of three students to receive this year's Distinguished Undergraduate Award from the Institute of World Languages!

Vicki is a third-year student double majoring in Speech Communication Disorders (School of Education and Human Development) and Spanish (College of Arts & Sciences). Her passion for language stems from her hard work learning a language (Spanish) that many believe comes naturally to her. Her motivation to study Speech and Speech Pathology comes from a similar source: she understands the frustration that comes when we can't communicate our thoughts and intentions because of factors that are beyond our control.

Vicki writes, "As a result, I've channeled my diligence and frustration into what is now my double major. My studies in language, from classes like Hispanic Women Writers to Anatomy and Physiology of Speech, have pushed me to acquire a global perspective on communication. The flexibility of my interests has allowed me to study Portuguese and learn about the deaf community. This upcoming summer I will be studying abroad in Belgium and the Netherlands to conduct research on the acoustical characteristics of individuals' speech when speaking foreign languages."

Once she completes her undergraduate work, Vicki plans to continue her study of speech pathology in graduate school. But before that, she will work or volunteer in Latin America in order to perfect her Spanish (and maybe Portuguese, too!) in the hope of becoming a better multilingual speech pathologist.

Congratulations, Vicki, on this distinguished award! We are rooting for you!