The María A. Salgado Graduate Student Essay Award

Created by Professor Oswaldo Estrada during his tenure as Editor of Romance Notes, the Salgado Graduate Student Essay Award honors Professor María A. Salgado, who earned her Master's degree in Romance Languages from our department in 1960. After earning her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the University of Maryland in 1967, Professor Salgado was invited to return as a faculty member, becoming the first woman hired as an Assistant Professor in the history of our department. The Zeta Psi chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Hispanic Honor Society, was established under her mentorship the following year. María A. Salgado became a true pioneer in the field of Latin American Studies and developed virtually every single course, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, from the colonial era to the present. From 1986 to 1996, she directed our prestigious book series, the North Carolina Studies in the Romance Languages and Literatures, and served on several occasions as Associate Editor for our journals, Romance Notes and Hispanófila. Today, she continues serving on numerous editorial boards. Professor Salgado has been a model scholar and dedicated mentor throughout her fruitful career. Thanks to her, countless graduate students have published fine book reviews, book chapters, and refereed articles in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. An enthusiastic and supportive mentor, Professor Salgado has directed the work of 169 students at the graduate level, most of whom have become her close friends and colleagues. The María A. Salgado Graduate Student Essay Award is given to a graduate student whose presentation at the annual Carolina Conference for Romance Studies is considered excellent and whose nominated paper is selected in a blind peer-review process. The award recognizes original scholarship and genuine contributions to the field of Romance Studies.