Cardinal Stories

Harley Mordarski

2023 Outstanding Undergraduate in Spanish

Rachel Gonsler

Rachel Gonsler, Marketing major, French minor, is the recipient of the 2023 David E. Barker Endowed Scholarship for French Majors/Minors. This scholarship, made possible by Professor Emeritus of French Dr. David Barker, provides an $800 tuition award to a French major or minor with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and a minimum 3.5 GPA in French. The scholarship is open to majors and minors in other languages in the event there are no qualifying French majors or minors. Félicitations, Rachel! For more information about this award and French at SVSU: Dr. Julie Foss, jfoss@sysu.edu 

Meet Courtney McTaggart

I graduated from SVSU in May 2018 with a bachelor's degree in International Studies with an Asian focus and a Japanese language minor. Shortly after graduation, I was hired on at Youth for Understanding, which is a non-profit, international exchange organization, and I have been working as a study abroad coordinator.

Meet Tere Elizalde

On to great things! Meet Tere Elizalde, majoring in International Studies and Spanish, with minors in Japanese, History and Sociology. Tere speaks about her SVSU experience in the Modern Foreign Languages Department, and in Fall 2019, she looks forward to attending the University of Michigan to study in the International and Regional Studies Graduate Program.

Meet Natasha Riegle

SVSU draws students who care about changing the world. Take Natasha Riegle, a criminal justice major and Japanese minor with her sights set on serving the federal government abroad. In fall 2017, Natasha earned the highly prestigious Boren Scholarship to study in Japan. The Boren Scholarship, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provides unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in regions critical to U.S. interests. Natasha brought her Cardinal enthusiasm and determination to Japan, committing to serve with the U.S. government for a year in exchange for the experience. Our Red Pride for Natasha runs deep, and we know this is just the start of her unique journey.

Empowered by her studies in Saginaw Valley State University’s Modern Foreign Languages department, student Natasha Riegle is taking her love of Japanese language to the land where it’s spoken.

Studying at Kansai Gaidai University

The Saginaw woman in August 2017 traveled to Japan’s Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan, where she is enrolled in the institution’s Asian Studies Program. Riegle, who is studying for a minor in Japanese at SVSU, plans to return to the United States in June 2018.
 
She said SVSU’s Japanese language academic program provided her with the experience and knowledge necessary for her studies abroad. There, she has continued learning the language while also studying the nation’s culture, history, political system and economics.
 
“I am enjoying my time in Japan even more than I expected,” she said. “It is a beautiful country with so many things to experience. I’ve learned a lot and improved in many ways. Most importantly, I’ve been able to meet some of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
 
Last year, Riegle applied for the Boren Scholarship, an initiative of the U.S. National Security Education Program aimed at funding opportunities for undergraduate students studying less-commonly taught languages. Riegle’s application was approved, helping her fund the overseas trip.
 
Riegle said she has been interested in the Japanese language since she was a child.
 
“I like foreign languages, and because Japanese is so different from  others, it’s very fun and interesting to study,” she said. “I wanted to expand my language proficiency from just Russian and English to Japanese as well. The fact that SVSU has a Japanese minor program was one of the main deciding factors for me to choose this university.”
 

Study abroad experience includes internship

Before she returns to SVSU, Riegle will serve as an intern at Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc., a major transport company in Japan.

Meet Madison Savard

As an Elementary Education major with a double minor in Spanish and Teaching English as a Second Language, Madison Savard mastered a way to combine her love of Spanish and her desire to share that love by teaching others. A winner of the Sigma Delta Pi Undergraduate Study Abroad Award, this Cardinal had the amazing opportunity to spread her wings to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where elementary students there were able to experience her love for both language AND learning!

Meet Haley Livingston

Haley graduated in December 2017 as a double Pre-Vet and French major. She is currently a student in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. She is one of only 2 students in the United States who was accepted into the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program this year. The program sent her to France to conduct veterinary research over the summer. Now, she has the opportunity to participate again, applying to a similar program in Greece for 2020. The French vet program's criteria required sufficient language proficiency to be able to conduct research in France, a qualification Livingston well-surpassed. While at SVSU, Haley went beyond what was required of her in the classroom to develop her language skills while also completing a challenging pre-professional program of study.