秋葵视频

秋葵视频 Spanish professor Miguel Garc铆a, Ph.D., was among many instructors teaching courses during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. As coronavirus entered the U.S. in 2020, classes shifted from fully virtual in the spring semester to hybrid models by the fall, prompting many faculty members to develop innovative learning solutions along the way.

Published in April 2025, 鈥淰oces, poemas e historias,鈥� is a collection of poems written by beginner and elementary-level Spanish students that showcases the powerful ability of Georgia Southern鈥檚 students, faculty and staff to innovate, create and collaborate across campus. 

Composition had always been a significant component of students’ graded assignments in Garc铆a’s courses. To contrast the strict, isolating protocols of the pandemic, he wanted to offer his students a chance 鈥渢o walk into a puddle and splash around with words,鈥� exploring their creative abilities and challenging them to use their newfound Spanish language skills. 

During the fall 2020 semester, Garc铆a presented his students with the choice to write a poem for the composition element for their coursework; he found his students expressing not only their creativity, but also their experiences, emotions and journeys through life. 

Contributing poet and dual Spanish and political science major Inga Withers said, 鈥淯sing words wisely is a form of art; as they say, the pen is mightier than the sword.鈥� 

Withers, who has faced life-altering personal challenges in the past several years, stressed the importance of allowing creative freedom within the curriculum. 

“The writing process helped me to work through some pretty complex emotions, and doing so in my second language facilitated me being extremely careful with my words,鈥� said Withers. 鈥淐reativity in the classroom is essential. It is the way we internalize learning.” 

The world didn鈥檛 end when the coronavirus began, and although 鈥渢he new normal鈥� at the time completely altered the social landscape, pandemic students still had to face difficult and complex personal hardships while also dealing with the added stress of social isolation and the threat of illness. Poetry, Garc铆a thought, could be a means of exploring new facets of self through carefully chosen words. It was a way of communicating complex emotions with one another that social isolation had hindered within the last year of living through a global pandemic. 

Another contributing student poet and English major, Kat Williams, also welcomed the option of a poetry assignment, using the challenge as a means of combining her unique interests and knowledge base. 

“When professor Garc铆a let us know that if we wanted to write a poem for our final instead of a paper, I jumped at the opportunity,” she said. 

To Williams, the project blended personal interests and world culture. 

鈥淲ith ‘El anhelo de Hades y Pers茅fone,’ I wanted to pay homage to everlasting culture and how, after a while, it all mixes,鈥� explained Williams. 鈥淥verall, the poem represents a love of natural opposites.”  

Although many students were thrilled with the opportunity to submit poetry, the idea of publishing the poems came to Garc铆a a few years after he began implementing the assignment. However, Garc铆a felt that he lacked the literary background needed to successfully complete the book and called upon Georgia Southern professor Teresa Buzo Salas, senior lecturer of Spanish, to assist in writing the introductory portion of the publication to give 鈥淰oces鈥� greater depth. 

Spanish professor Michael McGrath, Ph.D., and eight of his students, as well as graduate student Madi Stefan, also played a significant role in the production of 鈥淰oces鈥� by translating into Spanish each contributing poet鈥檚 short biography, allowing readers to have a chance to get to know the people behind the poetry.

For the design elements of 鈥淰oces,鈥� Garc铆a tapped associate professor Hans Mortensen鈥檚 students from the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art. In collaboration with Mortensen’s graphic design students, a web copy of the book was successfully designed and published in April 2025.

Among those design students, Gracyn Murguia had the opportunity to work on the publication’s formatting and editing. “I personally find collaboration especially important when building digital projects,鈥� said Murguia. “By working together, we were able to create a much more functional and visually appealing product than if we were working alone. We were also able to bounce ideas off each other and learn more about the other’s expertise.” 

With additional support from Associate Dean of Libraries for Research & Assessment Katia Karadjova-Kozhuharova, Ph.D., and Digital Scholarship Librarian Jeff Mortimore, Georgia Southern’s Henderson Library, the students鈥� contributions can also be accessed through the for years to come. 

“This project is a testament to the creativity, collaboration and dedication of our students and colleagues,” Garc铆a said. “I am deeply grateful to everyone who made 鈥�Voces鈥� possible.”