From a small town in Pennsylvania, Spanish professor Mandy Menke now joins the Grand Valley State University staff where she hopes to pass on her love of Spanish to students of all levels. Menke attended grad school at the University of Minnesota, where she met her husband Aaron. Between her undergraduate degree and earning her doctorate, Menke gained some teaching experience at a Spanish immersion school in Virginia. The Lanthorn sat down with Menke to discuss more details of what she hopes to accomplish in her time at GVSU.

Lanthorn: Why did you choose Spanish? What do you like about it?

Menke: Why I chose Spanish is funny, because I originally wanted to study French and my dad said that was too girly, so I was going to study German but then he said that was dumb … so I went with Spanish; which is funny, too, because my mom actually had been a professor of Spanish before she had my brother and I. So it kind of kept that in the family. But what do I love in particular about Spanish? I think it’s the people and the culture that I really like and that ties in the language, then. I like other languages, too, but Spanish is the one that I chose to study.

Lanthorn: What are you most excited about doing at GVSU?

Menke: One of the things that I really like and that excites me about the position that I have is the variety of courses that I get to teach this semester. I get to teach students that have never studied Spanish before, and what I love about getting to teach the lower levels is that it gives me a chance to develop my creative side a little bit more and I get to be an actress. I think that was my second calling maybe.

But at the same time I get to teach upper division level courses in linguistics and then I get to work with individuals who want to become foreign language teachers, which is what I originally wanted to do when I went to graduate school. So this position really affords me a lot of flexibility and then I just love to teach. I think that’s what I was meant to do and being able to do that on a regular basis and just getting to know the students.

Lanthorn: What do you hope to accomplish while you are at GVSU?

Menke: I think I hope to make an impact in the lives of students and help them meet their goals. I think it’s because of professors that I’ve had in the past that I’ve been able to get where I am right now. So if I could do that for someone else, I think that would be meaningful. At the same time I want to keep up with research and I think this position allows me to do that as well. But I think the biggest thing about being in education is teaching and helping people get to where they want to go and helping them see where they can go as well.

Lanthorn: What do you want your students to walk away from your classes with?

Menke: I think it depends on the course a little bit. I want my beginning students to come away with an appreciation for other languages and other peoples and cultures and maybe a desire to continue learning language. In my upper division courses I really try to instill critical thinking skills and help students. And like I had mentioned before, I want them to get the sense that they are an individual, who they are as a person, and where they could go with their potential.

Lanthorn: What are your hobbies? What do you like to do outside of the classroom?

Menke: What would I like to do outside of the classroom might be a better question. I really like going for walks and jogs and spending time with my kids. My husband and I really enjoy traveling and I love to read, also.

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