Dr. Stephanie Aubry, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, saw a need to open more doors academically, not just for her students, but also for the Columbus community. She began her initiatives along with her students in Spanish 5689: Spanish in Ohio, a course that permits majors and minors in Spanish to use their language and intercultural skills in real world contexts, primarily focusing on local Latinx communities. Students collaborate with organizations like Proyecto Mariposas, which cultivates spaces of belonging for Latina girls and women. Alongside our community partners, students learn how local advocates support the community while developing global citizenship skills. Last year, she worked in coordination with Dr. Leila Vieira, Assistant Director, Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), to apply for a grant through Supporting Higher Education in Refugee Resettlement, SHERR to collaborate with The Center for Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS). After receiving the grant, she applied funds for Spanish 5689 to invite middle schoolers in the CRIS afterschool program to OSU’s Columbus campus for field trips, engaged with CRIS in activities and moderated a Latinx Panel at the CRIS HQ for Columbus Latinx professionals.
Her new GE course, Spanish 3242S: Migration and Resettlement in Central Ohio, focuses on resettlement pathways, refugee or asylum, and the processes that each represents when migrating to the United States. Stephanie said, “I am passionate about this topic; this is something I worry and think about often, It is something important for me personally.” She mentioned that often people are placed in refugee camps for decades, never feeling at home.The course works to highlight the differences, dangers, and difficulties of those immigrating to the United States, regardless of the pathway they have chosen. Stephanie said, “In terms of our OSU students, a lot of them don’t leave the campus community as often as we do, so they may not know the city of Columbus. It is good to get them out of our ‘campus bubble’ to understand how amazing and diverse Columbus is.”
Stephanie shared one in-class project that students experience before actively engaging with the community: Dr. Aubry utilizes government agencies and non-profit organizations' National Immigration Forum Fact Sheets to exemplify current immigrant issues. Students then watch a TEDX given by Columbus local on his experience living in a refugee camp before coming to Ohio. As a follow-up, Dr. Aubry invites experts from Proyecto Mariposas and CRIS to speak to her students about their first-hand experience supporting local newcomer communities.
Stephanie exemplifies the passion for teaching within and beyond the classroom. She connects with her students and takes pride in their accomplishments: Fulbright scholarships, study abroad, their community engagement and desire to pursue graduate school, and pursuing partnerships with organizations. Her intention is to build community, a network of individuals of all ages to realize that they have a place here in Columbus, and especially at Ohio State.