A Career Written in Two Languages: Brenci Patiño’s Journey from Student to Professor
Blog post by Laura Gutierrez
I had the pleasure of meeting with Brenci Patiño, an alumni class of 2000 from UTB/TSC, now known as The University of Rio Grande Valley, who was promoted twice at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia and holds the position as a Full Spanish Professor. We discussed her journey as a student including her encouragement and advice for current students in College.
When Patiño was a University student, she enjoyed writing research papers for her classes, particularly in her English classes. Even though English isn't her first language, Patiño still felt comfortable writing and realized she was able to succeed in an area she wasn't supposed to. Despite her pleasure in writing, she struggled to decide her path, switching programs twice until her turning point when taking a Latin American Drama course, and declaring her major in Spanish and minor in Sociology, “Through the reading, discussion, and staging of works by Latin American playwrights, I discovered my passion for learning more about the language I grew up speaking and the rich cultures of the area.” Patiño helped her community by being a founder member of La Ventana Theater Group, teaching assistant position to her professor in the early days of the internet, and was a member of the Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society, which helped organize film screenings and other cultural events on campus. After graduation, Patiño knew she wanted to teach at a college level; she began her coursework for her Master’s at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, later on to pursue a doctoral degree in Spanish with a concentration on Mexican literature and cultural studies. After graduating with her PhD, Patiño took a temporary job at Texas Lutheran University as an Assistant Professor of Spanish, leading to her current position at Mary Baldwin University.
Patiño wasn't aware that the Young Scholars in Writing program (YSW) existed until her niece, currently enrolled at UTRGV, mentioned it to her and her involvement. Nowadays, students have access to more opportunities to experience their fields, unfortunately there wasn’t a program like YSW when Patiño was a student, “I was not part of a program like YSW when I was a college student, and I am not sure that UTB/TSC had any similar programs… It is a wonderful opportunity for university students to hone their writing skills.” Patiño believes that any program that encourages writing and creative thinking is good for any young scholars, “Programs like YSW allow them to express their creativity and learn to use their voice to make contributions to their community, their academic programs, and ultimately to succeed professionally by boosting their confidence.”
As a Spanish professor, Patiño encourages her students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them — including those offered to English-dominant writers in an English-dominant society. She notes that they "should be seeking opportunities for internships, perhaps even with their local papers, and any sort of experience that will expose them to the professional world of writing." But Patiño also recognizes the unique strengths and perspectives that multilingual and Spanish-speaking writers bring to their communities. Her own courses create these opportunities by offering culturally immersive learning experiences, including a three-week full-immersion program in Oaxaca, “In Oaxaca, they get to live culture through their courses, but also, and more importantly, through their interactions with Oaxacan families and students their age.” These experiences demonstrate that valuable writing and learning opportunities exist in many languages, and that multilingual writers contribute powerfully to both academic and cultural spaces.
Regardless of society separating English and Spanish scribblers, one thing all writers have in common is when they think, Am I good enough? Patiño never thought of herself as a writer as she believed it was unreachable, “I thought of writers as almost supernatural individuals who were somehow blessed with fertile imaginations and a special talent for putting their imaginations into beautiful sentences. Writers to me were rock stars (they still are!), and so the thought of seeing myself as a writer was simply unthinkable”. Patiño encourages all students and writers to connect with one another, write even if not having inspiration, to write until you are satisfied, even if it is in a journal until you're ready to show it to the world. “We are all writers. Writing is a wonderful way to express oneself and affect change in the world through our readers. The world needs unique voices like ours.” One takeaway from Patiño’s experience is the importance of grabbing every opportunity. Just as monolingual English speakers take their English classes, Spanish speakers can also benefit from learning more about their own language. By understanding their language in greater depth, students begin to fully “understand the mechanics of [their] own.”
Laura Gutierrez is a student at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she majors in English with a minor in Theater. With a deep appreciation for the intricacies of the human mind and behavior, she explores how emotions shape individual experiences through her learning. Laura's literary tastes include poignant works such as Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and the classic Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Her passion for storytelling extends to film; her favorite films include The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci), A Room with a View (James Ivory), and The English Patient (Anthony Minghella). Laura believes that storytelling provides a unique lens to examine society, capturing its beauty and complexity. She values the art of narrative as a vital means for individuals to connect with diverse experiences and perspectives in life's journey.
