J. Elliott Casal and Alba Garcia Alonso, now earning Ph.D.s at Penn State
By Blake Schenerlein and Dawn Bikowski
Life has been quite the whirlwind for two Ohio University alums who made trips across the world to complete their education and gain experience in America.
This husband and wife duo, J. Elliott Casal (originally from Virginia) and Alba Garcia Alonso (originally from Spain), left their life in Spain to live out their dreams, and Ohio University was one important stepping stone that helped them along the way.
Now they are headed to Pennsylvania State University doctoral programs.
During and after his M.A. studies, Casal worked closely with faculty and administration of the English Language Improvement Program within the Linguistics Department, participating in course development, helping build and coordinate writing and reading labs for undergraduate and graduate students, teaching a variety of writing courses, and working closely with students one-on-one.
“ELIP was a major draw when I was researching M.A. programs, and I was fortunate that several faculty members within ELIP and the larger Linguistics Department were willing to develop research relationships with me,” said Casal. “There were so many opportunities to learn about and within my field, to explore and narrow my interests, and to develop important abilities and skills in a variety of areas, but I value my time here mostly because of the great people.”
Casal strove to develop his teaching according to the guidance of literature and ELIP leaders, but he also demonstrated incredible dedication to his students through an uncanny ability to innovate. For example, during his first year as an M.A. Linguistics student, he led a project to develop and integrate a completely original, customized, and interactive digital course book for ELIP to use with its Business Writing section of Freshman Composition (ENG 1610).
The project was a major success, and an ongoing research study suggests that students were highly engaged in the course, which included partnerships with local businesses such as Donkey Coffee & Espresso and Rural Action’s Environmental Education initiative.
He was also part of several research projects with ELIP and Linguistics faculty, many of which led to publications and presentations at major conferences. Casal also taught in the English and English as a Second Language Programs at Hocking College.
J. Elliott Casal presented projects he did within ELIP at the TESOL Association’s International Convention in Baltimore in 2016. He is pictured here with Dr. Lara Wallace, also in ELIP and the Linguistics Department.
Garcia Alonso came to OHIO, never before living away from her home in Cáceres, Spain. She graduated from Ohio University, summa cum laude with a double major in Linguistics and Spanish as well as completing programs in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Chinese studies, and the Empirical Study of Language. She came to Athens with a drive to learn and made a home for herself in the meantime.
“Athens, Ohio—including the Linguistics and Spanish departments and the Institute for the Empirical Study of Language at Ohio University—has been wonderful for my development as a person. This was my first home outside of Spain, and I managed to fit in and find myself here more than anywhere else,” reflected Garcia Alonso.
Now that her undergrad is out of the way, Garcia Alonso has accepted her place at Penn State University, in a five-year, fully funded M.A./Ph.D. program in Hispanic Linguistics and hopes to add a Language Science specialization in the future.
Alba Garcia Alonso goes from a Bobcat to the Nittany Lion mascot while doing Ph.D. studies at Penn State.
At Pennsylvania State University, in addition to their coursework and research, Garcia Alonso will be teaching undergraduate Spanish language courses, while Casal will be applying his English for Specific Purposes training as a Language Specialist in the Penn State law school and working toward his also fully funded Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics.
While preparing for their next big move to Pennsylvania, Casal and Garcia Alonso reflect on how touched they were by their colleagues here at Ohio University.
“The time spent working with ELIP faculty and students, as well as Linguistics Department faculty, has helped me develop as an academic professional, but it also helped me recognize who I want to be as a person,” said Casal.
While their accomplishments are a reflection of the hardworking team’s abilities, they are quick to recognize the contributions of those around them.
“I learned a lot at Ohio University and had extremely positive experiences in the surrounding nature and community…but the people I have met and the friends I have made here were as important as anything else. I will always remember my time in Athens,” said Garcia Alonso.
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