An Interview with Kaitlin Thomas

By Faith Odegbami

The Chameleon would like to highlight Professor Kaitlin Thomas and her Advanced Spanish III students for translating previously published Chameleon poems into Spanish. Before joining Norwich, Professor Thomas lived and studied in eight countries. She received her PhD in Birmingham, England. Once joining Norwich in 2015, Professor Thomas has established a chapter of Sigma Delta Pi (The National Spanish Honors Society) and Tertulia Conversation club, built programming for Hispanic Heritage Month, and has grown the Spanish major and minor to be more extensive and interdisciplinary.

Faith Odegbami: When did you know you wanted to work in language studies?

Kaitlin Thomas: I knew very early on, probably around the end of middle school. I was fortunate to attend a school that had a strong Spanish language program and an absolutely amazing teacher. She inspired me from day one and is still a source of encouragement to this day! By the time I started high school, I had begun to seek out immersion trips to Spanish-speaking countries and other more local outlets where I could simply be around the language as much as possible. I loved it, and I think folks got a kick out of seeing a very young and eager kid carrying a notebook to jot down new words and expressions (hello, slang!) and be willing to entirely put herself out there.

FO: What was your academic path? What steps did you take to get to where you are now?

KT: I took a more circuitous route to becoming a professor, though being in this field was always my dream. After high school, I attended a small college on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in part because I knew studying Spanish at a place like that would mean I would have a lot of chance to be involved in the program and get to know my professors and classmates. I threw myself into it, taking language classes every semester and looking for internships out in the community where I could use Spanish. One of those internships wound up being with the local public school system, where I worked as a bilingual liaison, migrant educator, school interventionist, interpreter, and more for several years after graduating. It was an incredible job, and one that forged a lot of what I eventually began to pursue as an academic in terms of social, political, and cultural interests. I knew I wanted to go back to graduate school, and, so, after a few years, I applied to programs, ultimately deciding on one that would take me to Madrid, Spain. After that adventure, I came back to the States and began teaching at the university level while resuming some of the bilingual community liaison work I previously did. Teaching melded all my interests and experiences, and I loved what the university platform

made possible in terms of curriculum design, experiential learning, and student mentoring—all things that I had as a student and things that made a big impression on not just my career, but my life. I did this for several years, honing my teaching as well as research direction and then went back to graduate school for my PhD in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in Latino Studies. Norwich, and all its great adventures, is what came next, and here we are today!

FO: What are some of your creative outlets?

KT: I began to play instruments at a young age, so music has long been a creative outlet. I also enjoy reading historical fiction. When not doing either of those things, I recharge my creative batteries out on a mountain trail run or in the backcountry where I love snowboarding!

FO: What projects are you working on currently?

KT: I’m working on a book chapter and an article about the comic book series El Peso Hero to show how it (and some of its Latina/o/e millennial and Generation Z counterparts) is fostering a space where a more realistic and inclusive persona of 21st century Latinidad can circulate and flourish. After I finish these, I’ll be starting a project that delves into “millennial lotería,” a re-imagined social commentary version of the traditional bingo-like game, lotería. Then, I plan on turning my attention to the topic of deported veterans.

FO: What is your vision for the future of language studies?

KT: The sky’s the limit! Pursuing the study of a

second or foreign language is such a great way to open yourself to opportunities that you just can’t yet imagine while still in school. It’s such a worthwhile pursuit, personally and professionally, and an area of study that connects to just about anything else you are interested in. I think the future will see a growth in the field as more and more people look to diversify what they can do for work (and where they can do it). At Norwich, the future of language studies is incredibly rich for these reasons. There is an emerging professional track here where students will be able to take classes in Spanish for Law Enforcement, Spanish for Business, Medical Spanish, and translation and interpreting. This is all in addition to the classes in film, literature, politics, art, and more that are already available, as well as interdisciplinary fellowship opportunities with the Center for Global Resilience and Security and the multiple study abroad and study away options. In short, the future for language studies is bright!

FO: Do you believe the Humanities studies are in crisis?

KT: I believe that we have been living through tense, difficult, and divisive times that have put tremendous pressure on things like facts, objective reporting and discussion, and peoples’ bandwidth. Social media has intensified this, creating an odd mix of escapism with toxicity. I think that humanities offer a pathway out of such tumult, or at the least offer a more cathartic and productive way to cope. Think about it—when you have a bad day or go through a rough time, what do you turn to? Music, stories, movies, life chats with family and friends—all things that are staples of the humanities. Eliminating humanist areas of studies from curricula narrows what people will be exposed to at a time when we most need the lessons and context that history and philosophy give us, the catharsis that creative outlets provide, and the society-bolstering that stems from cultural awareness, interpersonal sensitivity, and general civic responsibility. If you are fortunate enough to have courses and faculty from an array of humanities fields (which Norwich students do!), then you have the chance to experience a depth of content that will be enriching for the rest of your entire life.