Professor gets national foreign language week recognized in Illinois

National Foreign Language Week, March 6 to 12, is recognized by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after Elmhurst University professor Beatriz Gomez-Acuña requested a gubernatorial proclamation, issued on Feb. 14. 

The request for the proclamation was issued through Alpha Mu Gamma, a national foreign language honor society. 

Gomez is the Spanish department head at EU, as well as the faculty adviser for the EU Alpha Mu Gamma honor society, regional vice president of Illinois and Michigan, and national president of the honor society. 

“My position allowed me to mentor students to go to present undergraduate research at the national conference,” said Gomez.  

The process to receive a gubernatorial proclamation in Illinois is seamless compared to requesting one from the White House, according to Gomez. 

“It is very straightforward if you go to the website of the state [Illinois] and there’s an area for proclamations and they want you to send them kind of already in a way a document prepared,” said Gomez. “They want you to have four or five ‘whereas’ and ‘therefore.’” 

As the regional adviser, she is asked to write out the proclamation explaining why National Foreign Language Week is important to receive the proclamation. 

This gubernatorial proclamation is requested yearly to fall within the first week of March, Gomez says. 

In the past, the honor society has been recognized by the White House in declaring National Foreign Language Week across the country, but the last president to accept their request was President George W. Bush.