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Daniel Sheff `01

At St. Lawrence

Major: 
Estudios Hispánicos (Hispanic Studies) Major

Since my decision to attend St. Lawrence about 15 years ago, the SLU community has been one of the most important elements of life. I am in daily contact with my St. Lawrence friends, and I maintain strong ties with the Modern Language department in both personal and professional ways. I applied to colleges knowing I wanted to study Spanish, and it was the quality and intimacy of the department, as well as the amazing reputation of the abroad programs that drew me in to SLU. It’s a decision I have never regretted!

I majored in Spanish at SLU, participated in the Spain study abroad program, was the director of the Spanish Writing Center, and was a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Rita Goldberg. In addition to Spanish, I took one semester of Japanese, two semesters of French, and two semesters of Italian. My most unique experience with Spanish at SLU was an independent project in translation with Dr. Steven White. The project culminated in a bilingual poetry reading in Herring Cole with visiting Spanish poet Ana Rossetti. Additionally, I was lucky to have three translated poems published in various academic reviews. Dr. Goldberg and Dr. White, along with Dr. Marina Llorente, showed interest and belief in me, which ultimately inspired me to pursue my study of Spanish with passion, fervor, and joy.

After Graduation

Additional Degrees: 
MA in Spanish

Since my graduation in 2001 I have been teaching Spanish at the high school level, and I got my MA in Spanish in 2005. I felt very prepared to begin teaching upon my graduation from SLU. The Spanish department helped me reach the proficiency, expertise, poise, and confidence that I needed to be effective in the classroom. In addition to teaching, I have continued to do some translating work. I have done the subtitles for two documentary films, translated a rock song that was performed by Okkervil River in Barcelona, Spain, and I do some occasional translating for the Carvajal y Robles law firm in Madrid, Spain. I also gave a presentation at the 2010 ACTFL conference in Boston about using cinema in high school Spanish classes. And finally, I am currently working on a book, which will be an annotated student edition of a collection of stories by Manuel Rivas. In my professional life, SLU has never left my mind. I have taught at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts for the last five years, and in our Spanish Department there are three St. Lawrence graduates. Additionally, I consider Dr. Marina Llorente to be the most valuable and influential figure in my career with Spanish. She is a great friend, colleague, and mentor, and she and I maintain frequent contact.