The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) awarded Linfield’s Sandra Elena Terra the Don Quixote de La Mancha Scholarship. As a recipient, Terra will participate in a weeklong program in Toledo, Spain, in March 2025.
Terra is currently an associate professor of Spanish and Latin American/Latine Studies at Linfield. She was selected for her commitment to advancing Spanish language and culture education, said HACU. The program aims to enhance expertise and support the recipients’ home universities in creating study abroad opportunities for students.
“I am both thrilled and honored,” Terra said. “This incredible opportunity will allow me to gain innovative didactic resources while making meaningful connections with University of Castilla-La Mancha faculty, paving the way for fruitful international collaborations.”
Terra has been a member of the Linfield faculty since 2016. In addition to teaching sociolinguistics and Spanish, she also founded the university’s Spanglish Day Celebration and advises the Spanish Club. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University, master’s degree from the University of Oregon and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This is Terra’s second major award of the year. In May 2024, she earned Linfield University’s Edith Green Distinguished Professor Award. This annual honor recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates “sustained excellence in the classroom, who contributes in important ways to the intellectual growth and academic success of individual students. … The Edith Green Professor is someone who has worked creatively to enhance Linfield’s commitment to academic excellence.”
While in Spain, she will take part in a 20-hour Spanish teaching course at UCLM. She will also participate in an integrated cultural program in Toledo and Consuegra, Spain. The Don Quixote de La Mancha Scholarship is part of HACU’s mission to foster international engagement and educational exchange. Terra received one of just 50 scholarships awarded as part of the collaborative project.
HACU represents more than 500 colleges, universities and school districts in the United States, Latin America and Spain. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Linfield, an emerging HSI, is an associate member institution of HACU. Associate members have at least 1,000 Hispanic students enrolled or have a total Hispanic enrollment that is at least 10% of the total enrollment.
