Community Engagement, Internships, and Other Professional Opportunities
Community Engagement
The Department of Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies offers experiential learning within its curriculum as well as through volunteering in local community programs. Most of these initiatives are designed to respond to the great demand for French and Spanish speakers and people with strong intercultural skills to support the growing Latinx and Haitian population in Salisbury.
Through these experiences, students practice and deepen the various personal and professionally transferable skills they learn in French and Spanish classes. They also acquire a hands-on experience to help them be better prepared for today’s competitive and diverse workplace.
Modern Languages currently supervises the following community outreach programs:
- Community Language Assistant Program in public schools (contact: Dr. Sally Perret, saperret@salisbury.edu)
- Mentoring Program for Latino/Haitian Students, Pinehurst Elementary School, Salisbury (contact: Dr. Corinne Pubill, cxpubill@salisbury.edu)
- After-School Tutoring Program for Haitian Students (contact: Dr. Arnaud Perret, apperret@salisbury.edu)
- English Class for Adults (contact: Dr. Sally Perret, saperret@salisbury.edu)
- Community Conversation Hours in Spanish (contact: Dr. Sally Perret, saperret@salisbury.edu)
- Book Discussion Program, Eastern Correctional Institute (ECI), Westover (contact: Dr. Aurélie Van de Wiele, axvandewiele@salisbury.edu)
- Audio-Documentaries on Latino experiences on Delmarva (as part of SPAN 410; contact: Dr. Ricardo Vazquez, rvazquez@salisbury.edu)
Internships: SALE (Spanish Applied Learning Experience) in Salisbury
Spanish majors or minors can use their language and intercultural skills to serve the community through a SALE internship (Spanish Applied Learning Experience) in Salisbury. Plus, they receive course credits for it! Past community partners in Salisbury have included: The Migrant Clinician’s Network, Tidal Health Peninsula regional, Mid Shore Pro Bono (now Shore Legal Access), and Tri Community Mediation. Please contact our department’s internship coordinator, Dr. Corinne Pubill (cxpubill@salisbury.edu), for more information about SALE course and available internships.
Federal Work Study Program
Each year, the French and Spanish programs each select one major or minor student to serve as a Student Worker for their program. In addition to providing financial support, these positions offer valuable professional experience, help with language skills practice and develop students’ key competencies such as leadership, time management, creativity, and interpersonal communication. This experience can be a strong asset when applying for jobs, graduate programs, or scholarships. More information about the requirements to become a Student Worker can be found on the Federal Work Study Program page.