Student Organizations and Groups:

The Highland Echo, Maryville College’s campus newspaper, is available in print and online, Impressions, Maryville College’s literary magazine

Students who want to improve their French are invited lunch around the French Table, which gathers weekly in the dining hall.

The Spanish Club provides opportunities for students of all levels to meet and practice their language skills in context of the community at large. Members regularly engage in activities with the Spanish-speaking community in East Tennessee and sponsor campus events celebrating Hispanic culture. 

Zeta Iota, Maryville College’s chapter of the national collegiate Hispanic honor society Sigma Delta Pi, regularly plans and participates in events that promote Hispanic culture and scholarship.

Café Hispano is an event in which students, faculty, and staff interested in Hispanic cultures and language regularly gather to converse in Spanish and to hear presentations by students and others. Presentations often reflect study abroad experiences as well as topics highlighting Hispanic cultures, histories and politics.

Students who want to practice their German or just listen to German in an informal setting are invited to the German Stammtisch, which is held weekly during the lunch hour in Isaac’s Café.

Student Research/Achievements:

Three English majors, Caroline Redmond '11, Margaret Carouthers '11, and Ashley Vandevender '11, traveled to the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society convention in March 2011 to present papers based on their original research projects. Held in Pittsburgh, the annual convention featured over 800 student participants from around the country and keynote speeches by poet laureate Kay Ryan and author Dave Eggers.

A work of literary criticism written by Spanish major Kelsey White ’10 was accepted for publication in El Cid, the refereed journal of the Spanish honorary society Sigma Delta Pi. The paper, written for the course “Spanish Peninsular Literature from 1800 to Present,” focused on the existential character created in Carmen Laforet’s 1944 novel Nada.

Selected as a recipient of the College’s Summer Lilly Internship, Carolyn Lyden ’10, a writing/communication major, spent the summer of 2009 working as a broadcast intern at WUOT, an NPR affiliate, in Knoxville, Tenn. Her responsibilities included interviewing, editing sound clips and writing stories for the afternoon newscast.

Emily Peery ’09, a writing/communication major and self-proclaimed “animal lover,” interned with the Knoxville Zoo’s public relations office during the summer of 2008. She made presentations, worked on publications and PR campaigns and helped introduce the animals to the zoo’s visitors.

Gabriel Turner ’09, a Spanish and International Business double-major, was invited to present his Senior Study, which he entitled “El Gaucho Negro: Argentina’s Literary War Against Blacks, Cowboys, And Amerindians,” at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference in April 2009.

Kevin Wheatley’s research on participatory journalism eventually landed him on the roster of the College’s football team. A 2009 graduate and writing/communication major, he suited up with the College’s team (a quarterback, no less!) for a whole season while writing “My Days as a Fighting Scot.”

English major Emily Winsauer ’08 received funds as a 2007 Summer Lilly Intern to conduct research for the Irish School of Ecumenics at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Andrea May ’07, a literature in English major, analyzed more than 20 selected works of famed writer Sylvia Plath in order to see if Plath’s poetry and short stories contained the distinct voice found in her famous collection of poems entitled Ariel. Andrea’s literary analysis – original research – focused on lesser-known works, including lines that Plath penned in high school.

Student Profile

Name: Gabe Turner ‘09
Hometown: Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
Major: Spanish
Senior Study: “El Gaucho Negro: Argentina’s Literary War with Blacks, Cowboys and Amerindians”

Q: Why did you choose Maryville College?
A: The mission statement (service to humanity) caught my attention. That has always touched me. I also liked the size of the campus, the smaller feel.

Q: Why did you choose to major in Spanish?
A: I lived in Honduras during my sophomore year of high school and liked that culture. I felt that Spanish was the right direction for me.

Q: In what ways has your Maryville College experience prepared you for your future vocation?
A: MC has made me a much better writer – I have come to love it. You can never dismiss the need to write well. Also, I see the concept of service to humanity working in myself and in the people around me (e.g., studying abroad, Bonner Scholars Program, January term).

Q: What are your future vocational plans?
A: I plan to attend law school in a year or two. Right now, I’m studying for the LSAT. I am interested in treaty writing for an organization like the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) or the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Q: What were your favorite courses?
A: As a freshman, I took a perspectives course, Linguistic Diversity, with Dr. Davis. I liked studying language development and dialects. In my junior year, I studied in Córdoba, Argentina. An Argentinean poet taught one of my courses; he frequently quoted works in several languages. In Humanities 201, we studied literature from different perspectives, such as feminist and liberation theology. That course piqued my interest in law school.

Q: What is the best part about being a Spanish major?
A: Working with Dr. Mitchell is the best part; he is my mentor. He has transformed the department, as well as challenged me. He was an integral part of my formation. I presented my Senior Study to the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference in April. I was the only undergraduate student in attendance. I was able to present in Spanish because of Dr. Mitchell’s encouragement. He also encouraged me to learn Portuguese.

Q: What are your other interests on campus?
A: I’ve done a little of everything. I performed in a play as a freshman. I played soccer for one year. I have traveled quite a bit. I’ve had a lot of contact with professors, stopping by their offices for an hour or so just to “pick their brains.”

Q: What aspect of your MC experience is particularly memorable?
A: The overall experience of learning here is memorable. I’ve learned so many things, but being here has made me appreciate what I’ve learned.

Q: Favorite place on campus?
A: Beeson Courtyard, where we played lots of corn hole.

Q: Favorite movie and book?
A: Movie: “Magnolia”
Book: Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Q: What is one thing you would tell a first-year Maryville College student?
A: Remain focused and realize that your hard work is an investment. It’s much easier to start out with a good GPA than to do poorly and have to fight your way up.