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School of Humanities

VOCES Fellows

Let’s build community and make our voices heard!

Do You Speak Spanish at Home?

Are you interested in…
  • Improving your Spanish-language skills?
  • Learning your family’s story?
  • Assisting in documenting the history of Latinos in the surrounding community?

Become a VOCES Fellow!

As an inaugural VOCES Fellow, you will participate in a unique opportunity next semester. You’ll build community on campus and nearby, connect with students and faculty, and have the chance to invite your family into your educational process.


It will also look great on your resume!

What is VOCES?

VOCES: Oral Histories and Spanish for Heritage Speakers is a new project at Purchase College that seeks to build community among Spanish-speaking students, their families, staff, and the larger community. It’s funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

What Will VOCES Fellows Do?

As you improve your Spanish language skills, you’ll learn your own families’ stories and assist in documenting the history of Latinos in the area around Purchase.
We will produce video and audio recordings of these histories in English and Spanish. The stories we record will be published via a digital archive for anyone to hear and through a textbook to help others learn Spanish. And public exhibitions will showcase our stories and who we are.

The work you do matters!

What Will You Learn?

You’ll build many skills as you contribute to this lasting project, including:
  • Spanish language
  • Conducting interviews
  • Video and audio production
  • Content creation
  • Digital mapping
  • Community building

Are There Requirements?

In addition to your enthusiasm and willingness to work hard, you must come from a home where Spanish is spoken.
(If not, and you’re interested in the project, you can still apply! Please complete the form, and we’ll follow up with you.)

I’d Like to Participate. What’s Next?

Fill out this form to let us know you’re interested.

Then, Enroll in Two Courses

To prepare you for the work we will do, you will need to enroll in these two courses in spring 2024.

1. HIS3687: Historia, Memoria e Identidad: The Latinx Experience through Oral Storytelling


Professor Leandro Benmergui

Learn skills in the field of oral history to produce histories of the Latinx experience in the U.S. You will study theories and methodologies of oral storytelling and collect histories from your family and the community. The stories you collect will contribute to the production of a textbook for heritage Spanish speakers and a digital archive on Latinx lives. You will also have the opportunity to practice your Spanish language skills.
Tuesdays and Fridays, 12:30–2:10 pm

2. SPA2030: Spanish for Heritage Speakers I

Professor Alfredo Garcia-Pardo



Designed specifically for native speakers of Spanish who have had little or no formal training in the language, this class focuses on expanding your ability to read and write fluently. In addition to building your language skills, you will learn about Hispanic culture, film, food, and more. You will also have the opportunity to interview Latinx immigrants from your family, community, and the Purchase area, collecting their stories for a digital archive and a new textbook of Spanish for Heritage Speakers.
Tuesdays 2:30–4:10 pm (+ remote component)

Questions?