Graduating senior Jake Williams was awarded the Distinguished World Languages and Cultures Scholar Award at the WLAC Annual Department Awards ceremony held online via video conference on April 23.
The award is given to a graduating World Languages and Cultures major with a minor in at least one other language, a combined 3.9 GPA or above, and who has demonstrated extraordinary service both to the department and University. The award recipient should also aspire to pursue a graduate degree in world languages or linguistics after Samford.
Williams graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and with minors in Latin American Studies, French and German. His Senior Project focused on the concept of machismo as being a “secret code” present in Latin American culture from the 15th through the 19th centuries despite its not being defined until 1950. During his undergraduate study Williams participated in study abroad programs in Spain and Germany. He was a beloved and well-respected Language Coach in WLAC’s Grace Márquez Language Technology Forum, where he tutored students in French, German and Spanish. While at Samford he was a member of the Samford University Marching Band and Jazz Band. Because of his passion for world languages, Williams plans to work as a teaching assistant in Spain for a year before applying for admission to graduate school in the field of linguistics.
