Assistant professor to receive leadership award

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  An associate professor who teaches Portuguese and Spanish for the Foreign Languages Department here is scheduled to receive the Lynn Sandstedt Program Leadership Award from the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers this evening in Denver.

Dr. Ismenia Sales de Souza found out from Lt. Col. John Garza, chief of the Academy's Portuguese and Spanish Division, in late January that she had been named the award winner.

"I feel so honored," de Souza said. "Sandstedt did so much for foreign languages. He was a pioneer for foreign languages in the state of Colorado and nationally. It's such a great privilege to get this award."

De Souza, who serves as an adviser for the Academy's Portuguese Student Association and Portuguese club, said working with the Academy's cadets is "a teacher's dream."

"I enjoy working with my cadets," she said. "They're smart, well-motivated, disciplined and very focused. They love the language, and they love the culture."

Spanish Professor Dr. Jean LeLoup wrote in a recommendation letter to the CCFLT that de Souza has made myriad and far-reaching contributions. De Souza founded the Second Language Acquisition Circle, which allows language instructors to share highlights of their research projects and teaching techniques.  In addition, de Souza set up a National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society here, a first for any of the military service academies.

"She is most deserving of this award that honors one of the truly great giants in the foreign language field," LeLoup wrote.

The Lynn Sandstedt award, previously called the Program Leadership Award, is presented to a foreign language educator who, according to the CCFLT.org website, has provided exceptional leadership and innovation in programs beyond the classroom level. Previous recipients include Bethany Brown, a teacher with the Poudre, Colo., School District, and Paola Malpezzi-Price, a professor of Italian and French at Colorado State University.

The award is named after Dr. Lynn Sandstedt, a Fulbright scholar who founded the CCFLT and several other foreign language teaching organizations. Sandstedt died Oct. 30, 2014, at age 82.