Dr. Rosa Stoop Pursuing her passions at

It took just one visit for Dr. Rosa Stoops to learn the veracity of experiences shared by many of her acquaintances about their time on the red brick streets at UM.

“Te motto of the University ‘You belong at Montevallo’ is true for all individuals who study, teach and work here,” Stoops said.

Stoops, who said she “applied without any hesitation” after learning about an open position, is now 18 years into her career at UM as a professor of French and Spanish with the Department of English and World Languages. She has served as an associate professor for the past 12 years after six years as an assistant professor.

Stoops was also recently named the frst Christiane Angele Jacobson Endowed Spanish Chair.

“I fell in love with the campus, the intimate atmosphere and the people here when I was invited for an interview,” Stoops said. “I have to say that I really, really wanted to get the job after I had lunch with the Spanish students. I felt welcome. I felt that I could really make a diference in students’ lives here and share the best of my knowledge and experience with the type of students that interviewed me for the position.”

Stoops is a native Spanish speaker, with an advanced profciency in Portuguese. She also has near-native profciency in English, French and Italian. Stoops said she was inspired to pursue teaching as her calling in life by her family, teachers and professors throughout her education. Her frst teacher was her grandmother who served as a kindergarten teacher and taught her to read when she was 4 years old.

While family and friends encouraged Stoops’ passion for teaching, she said her students attracted her to the profession and keep the fre burning 18 years into her career.

Stoops has impacted her students in countless ways throughout the course of her