Faculty of Languages and Linguistics Celebrates End of Academic Year with Awards
Georgetown University鈥檚 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences gathered to celebrate the (FLL) in an annual awards ceremony. The 海角论坛鈥檚 commitment to interdisciplinary education and cross-departmental collaboration is embodied by the FLL, which houses a bevy of language and cultural programs.
鈥淥ne of the crown jewels in Georgetown 海角论坛 is our Faculty of Language and Linguistics,鈥� said Dean Rosario Ceballo at the ceremony. 鈥淭he FLL is a national and preeminent leader in language education.鈥�
Connecting Georgetown鈥檚 commitment to language education and broad cultural understanding, Dean Ceballo linked the FLL to the university鈥檚 commitment to educating students to be women and men for others.
鈥淎s we look at the world today, now more than ever, it鈥檚 important to reach out to others, to listen, to learn and to dialogue across our differences,鈥� Dean Ceballo said.
Faculty Recognized
Each year, the FLL Distinguished Service Award is presented at the ceremony to a member of the faculty who has 鈥渕ade extraordinary contributions to the programs and mission of the FLL through his or her research, teaching and service to the community.鈥� , convenor of the FLL and , presented the award to , an associate teaching professor and head of the .
Mostowfi not only developed the Persian Studies Program, but was a driving force behind the Persian language minor. As she received her award, Mostowfi addressed the assembled students and faculty, reflecting on her time at Georgetown and the intrinsic value of studying foreign languages.
鈥淟anguages unlock worlds of possibilities,鈥� Mostowfi said. 鈥淔rench has taken me across three continents and into my dream job. I am teaching the next generation of decision-makers at a world-renowned institution. When your life鈥檚 mission aligns with the work that you do, you will always look forward to coming to work 鈥� as I do every day.鈥�
The Regent鈥檚 Address
Helen Catherine Poe (C’22)
The FLL Awards Ceremony is marked each year by The Regent鈥檚 Address, which is given by a senior in the FLL with an exceptional GPA who is chosen by the faculty. This year鈥檚 remarks were delivered by Helen Catherine Poe (C鈥�22), a double major in German and Russian. Due to the pandemic, Poe was unable to study abroad, but her coursework broadened her perspective during an unprecedented time.
鈥淚 saw that there were other people out there who鈥檇 somehow made sense of an unfair world that I couldn鈥檛 even begin to make sense of myself, and they did it in a way that was uniquely beautiful and beyond translation,鈥� Poe reflected. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have anything in common with most of those authors 鈥� they鈥檇 all died before I was born, and many of them were from countries that don鈥檛 even exist anymore 鈥� but just being about to read their work made me feel less alone.鈥�
Poe鈥檚 Georgetown career, especially the study of other languages and cultures, left an indelible mark.
鈥淪tudying languages here hasn鈥檛 just given me a way to learn about how other people live, it鈥檚 also helped me understand what I鈥檝e gone through myself,鈥� Poe said.