She came, she loved it, she stayed. That’s Marina Llorente’s story.
Associate Professor of Modern
Languages and Literatures and Spain native
Llorente came to the United States on a teaching exchange program and “liked
it so much that I decided to stay,” she says. She earned her Ph.D. in
contemporary Spanish poetry at the University of Kansas, and then realized she
wanted to be in a small liberal arts atmosphere where she could teach about her
research. “At St. Lawrence, I saw the possibility of growing as
a teacher and a scholar while simultaneously becoming a member of this academic
community,” says Llorente.
Llorente directed the St. Lawrence international
program in her hometown,
Madrid, in 1999-2000 and again in 2004-2005. “It is one of the most enriching
experiences I've had as a professor,” says Llorente. “I want
to pass on the passion that I feel about Spanish culture to
my students. To watch them experience the language and culture
of my own country is wonderful.”
Llorente is also passionate about diversity. She helps
her students gain exposure to the Hispanic community by bringing them
to the Ogdensburg correctional facility, where they tutor Spanish-speaking
inmates. She works with students in “La
Casa Latina” theme
house and is an advisor to the Spanish Writing Center. She also founded St. Lawrence's Poetry for Peace series, which is now podcast.
