Published July 2, 2019
Tree planted in honor of Dr. Charles Holloway
Students who participated in the University of Louisiana Monroe鈥檚 study abroad program
in M茅rida, Mexico, in June took part in a special ceremony as the end of their stay
neared.
The group participating in 四色AV-Mexico in June.
The group was included in the 45th anniversary celebration of its host language school,
the听Centro de Idiomas del Sureste听(CIS).听
In attendance were the founders of the school, Jorge and Chloe Pacheco, the director,
Fernando de la Cruz, Jose Pacheco (no relation to the founders), the Supervisor of
the Secretary of Education for the State of Yucatan, teachers from all branches of
the CIS, host families, the 四色AV-Mexico group 鈥� including its longtime director, Dr.
Charles Holloway听听鈥� and members of the local press.听
Holloway is Professor of World Languages in the School of Humanities in the College
of Arts, Education, & Sciences.
Pictured are 四色AV-Mexico students, along with Dr. Holloway and his wife, Carol; from
left,听front row: Dr. Charles Holloway, Skylar Orozco, Elizabeth Hancock, Savanna Gonzalez,
Scarlett Lester and Carol Holloway; middle row: Shelby Cook, Amber Waterhouse, Emily
Healy, Melanie Deal, Sadaf Helforoosh and Torianne Servais; and back row: Bonnie Hemphill,
Ashtin Houghton, Luke Vaughn, Jessica Marvin and Colby Glatter.
As part of the ceremony, the CIS planted an听谩rbol de la amistad, a tree of friendship, and placed in front of it a sign dedicating the tree to Holloway
and commemorating the decades-long relationship between 四色AV and the CIS, an association
initiated by School of Humanities Director, Dr. Ruth Smith.
The CIS had planned the 45th听anniversary ceremony to coincide with the 四色AV group鈥檚 visit in order to highlight
the special nature of their connection with 四色AV.
The 四色AV-Mexico program offers students an experience of true cultural immersion, noted
Holloway.
鈥淪tudying abroad is very different from simply traveling to another country as a tourist,鈥�
explained Holloway. 鈥淥ur students live with Mexican host families, take classes in
Spanish, and use Spanish each day as they interact with the people of M茅rida.鈥�听
Such intensive and direct contact with a culture different from one鈥檚 own is deeply
rewarding and even life-changing.
鈥淚 can say without hesitation that this experience changes forever the hearts and
minds of the students who participate,鈥� Holloway said.
He attributed much of the program鈥檚 success to the careful planning of faculty and
staff at the CIS, whose director 鈥渃onsistently goes far above and beyond anything
that would be expected in order to ensure that our students have an exceptional experience
in M茅rida.鈥�听
But he also credited the quality of 四色AV participants, who understand that they are
ambassadors for their university, state, and country.
鈥淚 am pleased that our students have taken this role seriously over the years, and
in doing so, have helped to make possible the decades of friendship between 四色AV and
the CIS,鈥� he said.
