Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Transy has experienced a sharp decline in the number of clubs on campus in recent years. Thankfully, many clubs are beginning to be resurrected including our fabulous Spanish club which has been revamped by senior Brannon Lawson and Spanish professor, Dr. Priya Ananth. As a member of the Spanish club, I asked Brannon about some of his hopes for the revival of the club and what students should look forward to this year:
- First and foremost, what is the Spanish Club?
“The Spanish Club is a recently revived organization seeking to help connect the Transy community with the local and global Spanish-speaking communities. It seeks to help its members improve their Spanish-speaking abilities, and to build an appreciation for Spanish-speaking cultures from around the world.”
2. What are some of the events or things you’re looking forward to doing this year?
“This year, we are looking forward to a number of events, including attending Festival Latino and providing salsa dancing lessons through a partnership with SAB. Additionally, we have a number of exciting movies we hope to share and guest speakers we hope to hear from throughout the year! Keep an eye out for one of our upcoming initiatives: a weekly Spanish conversation hour!”
3. How is the Spanish club different this time around/what made you decide to try and bring it back?
“I was motivated to work with Dr. Ananth in the Spanish Department to bring back this club due to my passion for learning the Spanish language and the important role that the language plays on our campus and in the local community. The population of Spanish-speaking people within Lexington and the U.S. as a whole is rapidly increasing and is an important component of our community culture that often goes under-appreciated. This lack of appreciation is something that the Spanish Club and I hope to rectify. Furthermore, it is my hope that the club will provide a friendly environment where students of Spanish can practice their conversational abilities, and become more familiar and confident with the language.”
4. Are there any requirements for students to be involved?
“There are no requirements for students to get involved! We welcome anyone, regardless of Spanish-speaking ability, as it is a space to learn the language if that is something you are interested in, or to just learn from and appreciate the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and their influence in the Lexington/Kentucky area.”
5. What is the time commitment/how often do you all meet?
“The time commitment is quite minimal! We hold club meetings every other week, and will often have different opportunities between meetings, such as the aforementioned conversation hour we hope to begin soon. All of these meetings and events are completely optional; you can pick and choose which are the most interesting or would be the most significant for you, and attend those! Though we do encourage participation in all the meetings and events that you are able to attend, as they all will hopefully have something to offer you!”
We are so excited to have the Spanish Club, as well as many others returning to campus this school year. If you have any interest in joining the Spanish club for any of their spectacular events or any further questions please reach out to Brannon at: bclawson23@transy.edu
