Tuesday April 21^st,2026

Lone Star Auditorium (MAC)

4:30-6:30pm

 

 

4:30pm - WELCOME

 

Dr. Cynthia Laborde, Chair of the Department of Modern Languages

 

4:40pm: Guest Lecture

 

Dr. Prakash Menon will be our Keynote Speaker for the Awards Ceremony. He has over twenty-five years of diverse experience in supply chain management, business systems and processes, and technical and engineering roles, complemented by graduate education in engineering and business. He spent five years with the North Carolina Division of Environment as a regional engineer. The first five years of his career were in operations management within the petroleum industry, working on offshore oil drilling rigs.

He earned his MBA from UMUC Online and completed his Ph.D. at Capella University in December 2008, with a concentration in organizational management and leadership. He worked for more than 21 years as an Enterprise Program Manager for the Global Agriculture and Turf Division of John Deere, managing global projects. During his final five years there, he focused on enterprise-wide translations and publications initiatives.

His teaching philosophy is grounded in attitudes and individual values. Despite the challenges and complexities inherent in education, he views teaching as an offering. He believes that when a love of learning is instilled in students, education becomes an integral part of who they are and what they can accomplish. By fostering a collaborative, student-centered environment, he encourages shared learning and mutual growth. He sees teaching and learning as essential to both individual and collective well-being, and views life as a journey of self-discovery and reflection — always keeping curiosity alive.

 

 

5pm: Certificate Distribution

 

American Sign Language & Deaf Studies Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

Arabic Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

Chinese Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

French Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

German Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

Korean Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

 

Russian Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding Upper-Level Student

Outstanding Interdisciplinary Student

 

Spanish Translation and Interpreting Awards

Outstanding Student in Translation and Interpreting B.A.

Outstanding Student in Translation Certificate

Outstanding Student in Interpreting Certificate

Outstanding Student in Service / Internship

 

Spanish Awards

Outstanding 1000-Level Student

Outstanding 2000-Level Student

Outstanding 2315 Student

Outstanding Junior Student

Outstanding Senior Student

Outstanding Student in Spanish for the Professions Certificate

Outstanding Student for Minor / Certificate for Global Health

/ Human Services

Outstanding Spanish for Global Competence Minor

Outstanding Spanish Linguistics Minor

Outstanding Mexican Culture Minor

Outstanding Student in Spanish Internship

Outstanding Student in Service Learning

Outstanding Graduate Student

 

Outstanding Student in Localization and Translation

Arabic, Chinese,French, German,Korean, Russian, Spanish

 

Outstanding Student in Modern Language Teaching Minor

Arabic, Chinese, French,German,Korean, Russian, Spanish

 

MODL Ambassadors

 

Award for Service to the UTA Modern Languages Ambassador Program

 

CLOSING REMARKS

 

Dr. Amy Austin, Associate Chair of the Department of Modern Languages