Alumni News
Thomas Nelson Publishes Book by Institute Alumna
In January of 2012, Krista McGee's first book, First Date, will be published through Thomas Nelson Publishers. Loosely based on the biblical story of Esther, First Date is young adult fiction. Pulling from her years overseas, Krista’s Esther character, Addy, is an orphaned daughter of missionaries who goes, against her wishes, on a reality TV show where the President’s son is picking his prom date. While she struggles with God, wondering why she is there, God shows her that nothing happens by chance, that He has a plan for everything, and the He has brought her there “for such a time as this.”
Krista McGee (Class of 2005) and her husband, Dave ('05), were part of the Student Council and were active in the church, Amistad Internacional. Since 2005, the McGees and their three children, Emma (12), Eliana (10), and Thomas (8), moved to Spain and moved back to Tampa. They led two groups to the Institute on short-term mission trips, and they have served as teachers at a Christian school (Krista) and Christian colleges (Dave).
First Date is the first in a series of young adult books loosely based on biblical stories. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and BarnesandNoble.com.
SLI Welcomes Graciela Arguedas as New Academic Director
With the start of the August 2011 trimester, The Spanish Language Institute welcomed Graciela Arguedas as our new Academic Director. Arguedas has a university degree in English linguistics, together with a specialization in the teaching of Spanish as a Second Language. She has been a language teacher (of both English and Spanish) for 23 years, including 13 years at The Spanish Language Institute.
Graciela Arguedas has been a Christian for 24 years and has served in counseling and pastoral ministries with her husband, as well as being a Sunday school teacher and leader of women's groups.
The Institute's new Academic Director is a "teacher's teacher" who is highly respected by colleagues and admired by students for her creative teaching methods. She is passionate about passing on Costa Rican traditions to the younger generation and has been in charge of the Institute's folk dancing group for several years.
Graciela Arguedas is committed to taking the Institute's academic program to a new level of excellence by strengthening conversation classes and encouraging teachers and students to utilize resources available through computer technology.
The administration and Board of The Spanish Language Institute look forward eagerly to this new phase in Graciela's ministry to missionaries who are preparing for service in the Spanish-speaking world.
These last 9 months at the Institute have truly been nothing but a joyous experience. I came to the Institute with absolutely no Spanish background and will be graduating in December with the ability to not only speak, but to write and read in this beautiful language, as well. The faculty and teachers as a whole have such vision and passion to see the students succeed and take personal interest in seeing this come to pass. The atmosphere is a blessing to come to each day...and I thank God for the opportunity to study at a school that strives for excellence and to be surrounded by such positive influence pointing me towards Christ in my learning.