We want to extend our warmest congratulations to our blog research assistant, Kelsey Boeshore, who graduated yesterday from Marist College with a degree in Spanish and minors in Global Studies, Social Work, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. As part of her many achievements, Kelsey was awarded the Raymond Weiss Award for Excellence in Spanish and she recently received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Colombia; she will embark on that new academic adventure in July. We are very proud of her!

From Westhampton, New York, Kelsey is an avid traveler and has spent much time abroad. She was a Rotary Exchange student for a year in Ecuador and has also done volunteer work for extended periods in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and Cuzco, Peru. In her junior year, she studied in Seville, Spain—where she earned a Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages—and Cuba, at the University of Havana. Here in Poughkeepsie, Kelsey also worked as a translator for the Dutchess County Legislator’s office and interned at the Rural and Migrant Ministry working with the Youth Arts Group.

We deeply appreciate Kelsey’s dedication, outstanding research skills, and great enthusiasm for the blog. Please join us in wishing her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

Lisa and Ivette

[PS. To John, Carmita, Milagros, Joan, and all our friends at the University of Havana, check out her sash! IR]