Carpentier — known to her friends and colleagues as Madi — will graduate this May, with degrees in International Studies and Spanish Studies, with a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Her research focuses on the regional languages of Spain other than Spanish, which has been the dominant language of Spain since the late 15th century.
“I decided that for my research I wanted to look at different movies, documentaries and books related to the regional languages of Spain — whether in a positive or a negative light — so I could get multiple interpretations of how Spaniards felt about the regional languages in their respective areas,” Carpentier said.
Professor of Spanish Studies Maureen Tobin Stanley, of CAHSS’ Department of World Languages and Cultures, served as Carpentier’s faculty advisor during her undergraduate research.
“Maureen is great. I love her,” Carpentier said. “She helped me kind of come up with the idea for my research. I went to her with like 80 different ideas, and she knew I was interested in the regional languages of Spain, so she helped me to narrow down my ideas to the best one. She also helped me choose the best books and movies and things to watch that would help me with my research.”
“Madison is joyous and experiential,” Tobin Stanley said. “This is particularly relevant to the Humanities and to graduate study. While some personalities are goal-oriented and place the sole focus on an outcome, others experience each moment fully. Madi’s unbridled curiosity leads her to ask myriad exploratory questions and to discern countless connections. If the etymology of ‘“student”’ refers to eager application of effort, then Ms. Madison Carpentier is the maximum exponent of what it means to be a student. As she continues on her intellectual and professional journey, I look forward to the day I can call her my colleague.”
Carpentier said her undergraduate research, and her work in the classroom, have helped her excel in both endeavors.
“I’m taking a class right now called Medieval Spanish, and I have found that my research and that class have both kind of played off each other,” Carpentier said. “I'm learning things in both of those areas that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. I have learned a lot of new vocab while I was doing the project, and I learned a lot of new vocab while taking the class that I was then able to use in my research.”
Carpentier said this experience only kindled her interest in Spain, her cultures and tongues.
“I definitely want to learn more of the languages spoken in Spain,” Carpentier said. “I’d like to learn Galician because it is pretty similar to Spanish.”
Spain’s regional languages were made illegal during the Francoist period, which lasted from 1936 to 1975, and were only legalized in 1978.
“Just because they were legalized doesn't mean that they're getting the recognition they deserve,” Carpentier said. “All of the media is still very much in Castilian Spanish, and the expectation in Spain is that everyone needs to know Spanish.” “However, there's more of a push now for more integration into schools, and in the media in the areas where those regional languages are spoken.”
“Language connects a lot to culture, so it's also keeping the language alive keeps the culture alive,” Carpentier said.
Growing up in Saint Michael, Minn., Carpentier became interested in the Spanish language and culture as a young student.
“I've just always liked learning Spanish,” Carpentier said. “It was kind of like my thing when I was in middle school. It was the class I was the best at. I also really like the history because there's just so much of it. Even though I've been studying Spanish for, like, I don't even know how long now, I'm still learning new stuff all the time about the country.”
“The research process was definitely difficult and it took a lot of time,” Carpentier said. “But it wasn't as scary as I expected it to be when I was actually doing the presentation. I get a little nervous with public speaking and things, but I was still able to do it. Maureen explained to me that I was the expert on this topic, and nobody else in the room knew what I was about to say. That advice helped me to be less nervous.”
Carpentier shared her desire to continue to learn, and eventually, to become a teacher herself.
“I really like teaching, I like being educated and learning new stuff. So learning all of this stuff and then presenting it in a way that people could understand was fun for me. I’d like to be a professor in a Spanish department at a university some day.”
In the fall, Carpentier will begin a master’s program in Hispanic Studies at Loyola University in Chicago, where she hopes to engage in more research.