The Inaugural Annual Bilingual Initiatives Symposium, themed around "Embracing Bilingualism at HSI UAZ " took place in the W.A. Franke Honors College on April 12th, 2024, fostering 40 participants and 19 presenters from different academic and administrative units across campus.
Their presentations and contact information can be found below.
Session 1
Bilingual Initiatives at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Cristina Bates, Senior Coordinator, Undergraduate Recruitment, crisbates@arizona.edu
Xvania Esquivel, Assistant Director, Undergraduate Recruitment, xesquivel@arizona.edu
Office of Admissions https://www.arizona.edu/admissions/espanol
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is dedicated to expanding its outreach efforts and establishing stronger connections with the community, aiming to provide students and their families with valuable tools, information, and resources for navigating higher education. We constantly strive to engage with diverse communities and increase recruitment rates among Hispanic/Latinx and Spanish-speaking students.
Our commitment to fostering relationships within the community is reflected in our evolving initiatives, by ensuring that our offerings are within the correct context, culturally sensitive, and relevant. Through these efforts, we aim to empower students and their families with the necessary support and guidance to pursue higher education successfully.
A significant milestone for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has been the integration of Spanish into materials and events, aiming to offer the community more opportunities to comprehend and navigate the admissions process. The inclusion of Spanish is not used to target students who identify as Hispanic/Latinx, rather it is a resource that we have made available for those who prefer to engage in this language. We have incorporated Spanish as a means to assist families and supporters in becoming active participants in their students’ journeys.
Fostering College Success through Testimonios and Family College Knowing Workshops
Cindy Trejo, MBA, PhD, Title V Director, Project Outreach FAMILIA, cdtrejo@arizona.edu
Lupe Gómez Waitherwerch, MPH, EEM-CP, Manager of Outreach, Project Outreach FAMILIA, gmg1@arizona.edu
Gisela Cardenas, BS, BA, Coordinator of Outreach, Project Outreach FAMILIA, ochoag@arizona.edu
College of Education & HSI https://familia.coe.arizona.edu/
Explore the impact of testimonios on high school families’ sense of belonging and college success with Project Outreach FAMILIA’s College Academy for Parents (CAP), a University of Arizona Excelencia What Works program. Join our mock CAP workshop and discussion on our evidence-based approach, designed for elementary parents and now extended to high school families through local school partnerships. Focusing on first-gen college-bound students, we foster meaningful discussions with families about the college process, requirements, financing, and creating a supportive home culture. By offering CAP sessions in both English and Spanish, and through the utilization of Latinx research tools, we ensure inclusivity and accessibility for diverse communities, while we aim to create a climate of trust and safety where families feel comfortable asking questions and addressing any perceived barriers to higher education success.
This session will embed a mock parent session on college-going knowledge using an evidence-based curriculum endorsed by Excelencia What Works. Presenters will demonstrate the session in both English and Spanish, incorporating testimonios, research methodology, a form of oral storytelling that promotes social transformation, emphasizing individuals' resilience in overcoming challenges while fostering solidarity and resistance to dominant cultural norms (Delgado Bernal et al., 2012).
Two presenters, with firsthand experience supporting students in attending college, will share their testimonios, contributing to a climate reminiscent of pláticas. In many Latinx cultures, pláticas are intimate stories, that lead to an exchange of ideas (Delgado Bernal et al., 2012). The university-based Title V staff will provide best practices for family engagement and partnership strategies when collaborating with K-12 school districts.
Participants will gain insights into:
- Establishing a culturally responsive workshop environment that encourages equitable participation.
- Understanding testimonios and pláticas and integrating them into workshops
- Highlighting effective strategies for K-12 partnerships, particularly in family engagement
- Sharing successful approaches to champion family engagement for high school and college-going families.
Join us in our mission to advance bilingual education and empower college-going families through collaborative efforts across the University of Arizona. Together, let's pave the way for bi/multi/cultural understanding and foster inclusivity, all within the framework of our institution's dedication to serving diverse communities. Your involvement will contribute to the meaningful exploration of testimonios' impact and the utilization of Latinx research tools to ensure accessibility and trust within family engagement sessions. Immerse yourself in an interactive journey of effectively collaborating with families as partners in supporting their high school children through the college-going process. Gain insights from heartfelt testimonios shared by our experienced presenters, followed by guided discussions that will enhance your understanding and boost your confidence in applying similar approaches within your own institutions. Depart equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement these effective strategies, fostering meaningful family engagement every step of the way.
Bilingual Journalism Education at a Hispanic Serving Institution
Jessica Retis, PhD - Director, School of Journalism & Bilingual Journalism M.A. program, jessicaretis@arizona.edu
Alexandra Mora Medina, BA - Graduate Student in Bilingual Journalism M.A., amoramedina@arizona.edu
College of Social and Behavioural Sciences, https://journalism.arizona.edu/
This presentation seeks to contribute to the understanding of bilingual journalism education in the U.S. Drawing on the experience of launching and developing the first bilingual journalism M.A. at a Hispanic Serving Institution, it surveys the variables that made it possible to create an innovative program at the University of Arizona. By sharing the students' experiences this contribution will bring reflections on student-center teaching and community academic praxis. It will also present community-serving approaches to develop innovative pedagogies at HSIs.
Session 2 - Keynote Speakers Presentations
Jessica Zeitler, PhD - Bilingual Instructional Designer & UNIV instructor, jzeitler@arizona.edu
University Center for Assessment, Teaching & Technology (UCATT), https://ucatt.arizona.edu/
As online education rapidly expands to meet increasing demand, it's crucial for faculty and instructional designers to continually enhance student-centered learning. However, amidst the relentless pursuit of improvement, we often overlook critical questions about fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and bilingualism in our courses.
Challenges and Questions:
How can we create spaces where diverse student identities feel welcome, included, and valued, especially in the context of bilingualism? What does an assets-based approach entail, and how does it differ from a deficit-based approach? And perhaps most importantly, how can we leverage our institutional agency to promote equitable outcomes, not just equitable access, for bilingual learners?
The Role of Inclusive Design in Fostering Bilingualism:
Inclusive design not only addresses the needs of diverse learners but also encompasses considerations for bilingualism. By intentionally designing courses with inclusivity in mind, we can create environments where bilingual students feel affirmed and supported in their language acquisition journey. This may involve providing instructional materials in multiple languages, incorporating culturally relevant content, and offering opportunities for language practice and expression.
Approach and Collaboration:
Drawing from my experiences as an instructional designer and faculty member at the University of Arizona, I'll share insights into how inclusive design principles can be integrated with considerations for bilingualism in course development. By collaborating with diverse stakeholders across campus, we've developed strategies to create courses that honor linguistic diversity while fostering a sense of belonging for all students.
Key Focus Areas:
I'll discuss best practices for inclusive design, highlighting the importance of considering bilingual learners' linguistic backgrounds and supporting their language development. Additionally, I'll showcase examples of how project-based learning and institutional agency can promote community building and equitable outcomes for bilingual students.
Interactive Exploration:
Throughout the presentation, we'll explore how collaborative design and teaching efforts can amplify diverse voices, including those of bilingual learners, in both online and in-person classes. By sharing practical examples and engaging in discussions, participants will gain valuable insights into fostering inclusive spaces and fostering bilingualism in higher education course design through inclusive design practices.
Bilingual Development: Challenging Myths and Building Equity through Collaboration
Génesis Arizmendi, PhD, Assistant Professor, genesis@arizona.edu
Director of the Multicultural Bilingual Certificate Program https://slhs.arizona.edu/students/multicultural-bilingual-certificate-program
Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, College of Science, https://slhs.arizona.edu/
This presentation aims to provide attendees with an interdisciplinary and clinical perspective on the nature of bilingualism, highlighting the impact of assumptions and misconceptions on students, families, and communities. Throughout the presentation, the real-world consequences of these assumptions will be highlighted. From misdiagnoses in educational and healthcare settings to limitations in educational opportunities for bilingually developing students, the ramifications of misconceptions about bilingualism are far-reaching and profound. Prevalent myths surrounding bilingualism will be debunked, while highlighting critical needs and gaps in education and training. By understanding these factors, attendees can gain insight into why debunking these myths is crucial for promoting equity and inclusivity in our communities. These insights underscore the urgent call for increased collaboration across disciplines to build equitable systems that can meet the needs of our increasingly diverse society.
In addition, an emphasis will be placed on the importance of community involvement and collaboration in building equitable systems for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. By partnering with community organizations, involving parents and families in decision-making processes, and engaging with local policymakers, we can collectively advocate for change and inclusivity.
The presentation will conclude with examples of collaborative initiatives that have the potential to address these issues and can lead toward improved outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse students and communities. Attendees will be invited to imagine a culturally informed community and the necessary steps needed to reach a future where bilingualism is understood, celebrated, and supported.
Dr. Genesis Arizmendi is bilingual speech-language pathologist who has served students across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. She is an interdisciplinary clinician-scientist with postdoctoral training in educational psychology and special education. Dr. Arizmendi is a proud fronteriza from Nogales, Arizona, who is committed to building equitable systems for her community.
Session 3
Becoming Multilingual: Empowering College Students to Learn and Maintain Languages for Life
Peter Ecke, PhD, Professor, eckep@arizona.edu
Department of German Studies, College of Humanities, https://german.arizona.edu/people/eckep
Interdisciplinary Program in Second Language Acquisition & Teaching, Graduate College
https://german.arizona.edu/news/dr-peter-ecke-receives-neh-grant-course-multilingualism
In this session I present a NEH-funded project to conduct research related to and revise the general education course “Becoming Multilingual: Learning and Maintaining Two or More Languages” (GER 150A1).
I developed “Becoming Multilingual” in 2015 to introduce undergraduates to research on bi/multilinguals (people who use two or more languages in their everyday life), and to help them see how myths about bilingualism and language learning both persist (e.g., that bilinguals are balanced in their language use, learn their languages in childhood only, and confuse their languages to the detriment of their school and community activities where the non-heritage language is prioritized) and what the realities are. Offered nine times to date during spring semesters and nine times during summer/winter sessions, “Becoming Multilingual” has provided a space for a total of 1,367 UA students to examine their relationship with bilingualism and language learning. The course has attracted many Hispanic students as well as international, immigrant, and Native American students. What these groups of students have in common are frequent challenges related to their perceived language proficiencies and cultural identities. They are often very critical and anxious about their language skills and feel that they do not meet expectations from family members and friends. In “Becoming Multilingual,” these students realize that their experiences are shared by many others, they learn what it means to acquire, maintain, and forget languages, and are provided with insights that help them make informed decisions as language learners/users in college, in their careers, and in their families.
In this research in progress, I study undergraduate students’ language backgrounds and needs, as well as their attitudes toward and perceptions of bilingualism through pre- and post-course questionnaires collected between 2020 and 2024. In this presentation, I will present preliminary findings about (1) the extent to which undergraduate students who participated in the course are comfortable about their language skills, (2) which questions related to bilingualism and language learning they are most curious about, and (3) what they would like to improve most about their language skills.
By better addressing students’ self-reported language challenges and needs, the redesigned “Becoming Multilingual” will more effectively meet students’ language learning needs and have a greater impact. It will help course participants develop a more positive self-image by appreciating their (home) languages and cultures, set realistic goals to (re)-learn and maintain them and promote a more harmonious bilingualism and well-being in bilingual settings.
Translanguaging to Support Bilingual Students at the Writing Skills Improvement Program
Karen Barto, PhD, Writing Specialist, kabarto@arizona.edu
Writing Improvement Skills Program https://wsip.arizona.edu/people/kabarto
College of Humanities https://wsip.arizona.edu/
The Writing Skills Improvement Program (WSIP) is staffed entirely by professional writing specialists with expertise in different areas of higher education, including second language teaching and Borderlands studies. The center takes seriously its role as a support unit of a Hispanic Serving Institution and strives to live up to its motto, “Respect, Rapport, Relationship,” in interactions with students. One approach that WSIP writing specialists implement to support bilingual and bicultural students is translanguaging, which has been deemed a theory, approach, or set of practices that values and validates the full use of a multilingual person’s linguistic resources (Cenoz & Gorter, 2020; Cummins, 2019; Li, 2018; Li & García, 2014). WSIP offers writing education and support through meetings, workshops, institutes, and more. Translanguaging practices have been applied in many educational contexts, including writing instruction (e.g., Yang et al., 2023) and writing centers, and can encourage writers to utilize any or all of their languages throughout the writing process.
Translanguaging practices can be crucial tools for bilingual students. We know that academic learning can be harder in a second language (Cummins, 2007), but that using all languages known can facilitate complex and deeper learning (Kagwesage, 2013). In American universities, learning and academic writing are intimately paired: we use writing to show what we have already learned, but we also learn through writing (Lyster, 2007; Swain & Lapkin, 1995). Thus, valuing and validating students’ multiple languages in their writing process can directly impact their overall academic success.
Toward this end, WSIP writing specialists offer and/or employ translanguaging practices in a variety of contexts. One means of valuing students’ linguistic and cultural experiences and identities follows from a funds of knowledge approach (Moll et al., 1992). Another comes from approaching writing with a “multilingual mindset” (Doiz et al., 2012). From those foundations, specific translanguaging practices can be used at various stages of the writing process. For example, brainstorming can focus on maximal generation of ideas rather than use of just one language. Students can also use multiple languages when reading, annotating, and drafting. In group discussions where not everyone speaks the same languages, students may sometimes translate ideas to the shared language(s) and other times teach each other language or concepts not common to the whole group.
Although translanguaging practice has many expert proponents, students’ reactions may vary. The monolingual mindset has long prevailed in L2 learning, and multilingualism is still viewed as a deficit by many (Muñoz-Muñoz, 2018), so students may experience a variety of emotions, ranging from surprise or doubt to relief or affirmation, when first learning of translanguaging strategies as a valued practice in formal education. We introduce strategies while also supporting writers’ agency to make their own decisions about whether to employ such practices. In essence, our approach offers potential tools for students that emphasize their strengths and needs rather than the mainstream processes often taught or expected in a monolingual university.
Ash Parra, BA, Student Engagement and Career Development, Project ADELANTE, ashparra97@arizona.edu
Title V, Project ADELANTE https://hsi.arizona.edu/project-adelante
This presentation will focus on the La Chamba Workshop Series which is a pilot program for the Title V Department of Education grant, Project ADELANTE. La Chamba seeks to increase retention and sense of belonging for students who are Hispanic/Latine and first-generation, strategically meeting students in spaces where they already are. This curriculum takes a unique approach towards empowering students in their pursuit of seeing themselves as bilingual and bicultural professionals and uses an intersectional lens towards career development, tying in financial wellness, mental health, and professional development altogether. Collaborations with different units across campus are also staples of the La Chamba Workshop, and this session will illuminate how these collaborations have been essential towards the adaptation of the bilingual and bicultural professional identity for our student population. From identifying side hustle skills to talking about taboo topics in our families, La Chamba Workshops pushes students to look for nuances and empowers them to build their self-advocacy skills in the workplace, especially stressing negotiating for bilingual compensation.
Session 4
Multilingual Course Content Development Project
Sonia Colina, PhD, Regents Professor, scolina@arizona.edu
Director of the National Center for Interpretation, https://nci.arizona.edu/
https://nci.arizona.edu/translation/multilingual-course-content-development-service
College of Humanities
The Multilingual Course Content Development Project is a scalable project that seeks to provide quality course content in multiple languages through translation. By offering courses in various languages, we seek to advance the University’s goal of expanding access to education, not only on campus but also globally, and to support the needs of diverse communities of learners. By using translation, we create a cost-effective model that guarantees the same quality content as in English. The National Center for Interpretation (NCI) at the University of Arizona, in partnership with the Provost’s Office and the College of Public Health, completed a Spanish pilot of this project, centered on PH 308 Community Health Education for Disease Outbreaks, a 7.5 week, online general education course, offered in fall 2022 and fall 2023. The course was translated by an ATA (American Translators Association)-certified translator, and reviewed by a subject-matter expert who was also a member of the community of practice. Participating students highlighted the benefits of taking the course in their dominant language.
Along with course translation, NCI provides translation quality assurance and analysis of the results of the translated course and comparison with the English outcomes. For those who may wish to produce their own translations, the project offers quality assurance and a seal of approval. Most recently, NCI completed the evaluation of the translation into Mandarin of a graduate course in Economics for the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Gabriela Valdez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Practice, Health Promotion Sciences Department, gvaldez@arizona.edu
Director of Global Education, https://publichealth.arizona.edu/directory/gabriela-valdez
Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
Cultural and language barriers are impacting access to health services in the Latinx community across the U.S., a community that already has been disproportionally impacted. The Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona is offering a course in Spanish about Community Health Education for Disease Outbreaks. The overall learning objective of this course is to successfully develop, create and implement community and public health education strategies. Thanks to the Spanish language component, students can successfully do this within multilingual and multicultural settings. Offering Public Health content in Spanish that is culturally relevant and contextualized offers Public Health students the opportunity to further develop their Spanish language skills and intercultural competencies through a social justice lens. These skills are particularly important in a border state such as Arizona where the Latinx population represents more than 31% of the state population according to the last U.S. Census. Students were asked to complete a bilingual linguistic profile at the beginning of the course and participate in a course evaluation survey assessing their experience in the course. This pilot course was made possible by an innovative collaboration between the Zuckerman College of Public Health, The Provost Office, and The National Center for Interpretation at the University of Arizona.
Guerrero Student Center Bridging Collaborations
Dominique Calza, MA, Director, Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Center, calzad@arizona.edu
Indira Arce, MA, Assistant Director, Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Center, iarce@arizona.edu
Lucero Ramirez, M.Ed, Coordinator, Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Center, luceroramirez@arizona.edu
Izza Juaregui, MA, Site-Based Counselor, Counseling & Psych Services, Campus Health Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Center, izzajauregui@arizona.edu