Lee University Spanish major Morgan Courson and her faculty advisor, Dr. Sara Ortega-Higgs, professor of French and Spanish, collaborated on a Spanish translation project for the Church of God Children’s Home in Pozas Ricas.
The project was for the Alfa y Omega Casa Hogar, an orphanage where Ms. Courson has volunteered every summer since she was 16 years old. The directors of the orphanage needed 25 biographies of new children translated into English before the directors could add the biographies to a book to share with churches during their sponsorship tour in the United States.
According to Ms. Courson, the tight deadline gave her two days to finish her translations, so she reached out to Dr. Ortega-Higgs for assistance in completing the project. They translated all night to meet the deadline.
Ms. Courson and Dr. Ortega-Higgs found the project a “touching experience” as they worked together to translate stories which often began with abuse and neglect, but ended with redemption and love at the orphanage. Dr. Ortega-Higgs was deeply impressed with Ms. Courson’s commitment to the task, as it was a significant amount of work.
"Morgan carried most of the burden. I only assisted her,” said Ortega-Higgs. “That's the beauty of our Lee students' hearts. When they find meaning and purpose, they will fight for social justice, move mountains, and change the world!”
Dr. Ortega-Higgs joined Lee’s faculty in 2005 after earning her Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and her Doctorate in Romance Languages Studies from the Université Stendhal in Grenoble (France). Prior to Lee, she taught French at the University of Puerto Rico on both the Río Piedras and Bayamón campuses.