This issue’s Society Spotlight is focusing on Swansea University’s Hispanic Society. Founded by James Walker, Sean Muñoz and Sebastian Saavedra, this society has been actively running since 2015.
Rhys Davies, current President of the Hispanic Society, says that the society is “open to people who speak Spanish as a first or second language, those who are learning it, and those who are just interested in Hispanic cultures and who want to meet Spanish speakers.”
The society hosts a weekly hour-long event called Café Guay in which learners and fluent speakers get together to improve their Spanish and help others with the language. They also organise a range of exciting socials, including a monthly Latin music night out on Wind Street.
Being at the centre of the Spanish speaking community in Swansea University, the Hispanic Society is popular amongst both international students and British students interested in meeting those on an exchange semester. The society offers the chance to improve your Spanish or even learn it from scratch in a fun, friendly and informal environment. As far as the language learning aspect goes, the society is composed of 3 levels, from beginner to advanced. At Café Guay, members can learn interactively through games and also one-to-one conversations.
However, as I’ve already mentioned, the society isn’t purely academic. When I asked about the social side, Rhys said, “We also collaborate with other language societies, and last semester we held a very successful international night out with the Helenic, Italian and German societies.”
With 80 members, the Hispanic Society is a very friendly and open community of people. No matter what your cultural or linguistic background, this society is one you will feel welcome in. There are no specific requirements to join the Hispanic Society and the membership fee, which can be purchased on the Student Union website, is only £3. Don’t worry that you missed out on the first semester – those interested are encouraged to join at any time of the year!
Looking towards the future, the society hopes to carry on with what they are doing and collaborate more with other language societies. This year the society has grown exponentially because of the hard work of their new committee; Danny Calderon, Clara Miquel Fosco, Slovena Georgieva and Julia Nevado Sánchez-Biezma, who Rhys would personally like to thank for working together to build a strong foundation on which the society can continue to grow. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what they get up to in the next few months.
by Juan Romero Flores
