Graduate Association for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese


GRASP logo. Letters are filled with various flags from Latin American countries

¡Hola a todos! 

We would like to start by introducing ourselves. Our names are Camila Micán, Laryssa Rodrigues, Lorena Mosquera, and Cesia Espinal-Moncada.

As new members directing GRASP (Graduate Association for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese) for 2024 - 2025, we are committed to representing our graduate community by facilitating intradepartmental bonds, and by planning fundamental events and activities that represent the core of the Spanish and Portuguese family. GRASP aims to foster the intellectual life and the development of our graduate fellows by providing them with a beneficial atmosphere that will eventually lead to professional success in our careers. This new group seeks to organize on-campus conferences and talks, to coordinate internal colloquiums on research and teaching, to collaborate with other KU departments and Lawrence public institutions in order to promote Spanish language and culture, to propose social gatherings to enhance communal union and represent our students’ concerns, inquiries, suggestions, and benefits before the KU Senate. 

Dear alumni, students, and friends, we encourage you to keep in touch with us (graspkuspan@ku.edu) and check our website, Facebook, and Instagram regularly for further information and details about our short and long-term projects. Commitment and fulfillment of GRASP’s standards is our ultimate motivation, and we guarantee that GRASP is in safe and good hands.

¡Saludos!

GRASP Officers (2024 -2025)

Since 1986, the Graduate Association for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese (GRASP) is one of several student organizations that participates in the Graduate and Professional Association (GPA) and its representative senate. As such, our organization adheres to the general statement of purpose of this larger organization.

Beyond our general responsibilities as GPA members, GRASP officers serve important roles within the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. These include:

  1. Supporting and facilitating a strong relationship between the graduate students and the (faculty and staff of the) Department of Spanish and Portuguese
  2. Stimulating intellectual engagement in contemporary academic, scholarly, and political discourse
  3. Administering GSA funds in accordance with the needs of graduate students and the academic goals of the department as a whole
  4. Planning and assisting in important departmental functions, including departmental parties, award ceremonies, and the search for new members of the faculty.