MC’s Latin Lover: Viscariello wins Carole Ann Ryan Award

By: Dustin Looney
Features Editor

Every year, up to five hopeful students who attend Illinois colleges and universities are presented with the Carole Ann Ryan Award, given to students who are foreign-language teaching majors.

Andrew Viscariello, a junior at Monmouth College, is a recipient of the award this year, and he is honored with his achievement. “This is a big deal to me,” Viscariello said. “It’s a big deal to me because it will help me in the work force.”

The Carole Ann Ryan Award is given annually and it is presented by the Illinois Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL).

The ICTFL was created in 1987 and it is a not-for-profit association. The Carole Ann Ryan Award was created in 2002 to honor up to five students each year who want to be foreign language teachers.

The award is made to honor the former president of the ICTFL, Carole Ann Ryan, who recently passed away. She was a professor at Illinois College.

Viscariello said he attended the conference which discussed the award and then applied by sending in a letter of recommendation from a professor and a self-written letter which discussed his goals for the future. He said he won the award in addition to two women who attend the University of Illinois.

For winning the award, Viscariello will receive registration to the ICTFL WinterFest and Fall Conference. He will also get an award certificate and a year complimentary membership in ICTFL. His certificate will be presented at the fall conference awards banquet.

Viscariello grew up in Brookfield and attended Riverside-Brookfield High School. His major at Monmouth College is Classics K-12 education. He is also a member of Eta Sigma Phi, Zeta Beta Tau and men’s choir.

After graduation, he plans on looking for a teaching position in social science/Latin at the K-12 level.

Viscariello has some advice for other education majors at Monmouth College.

“I think that all education majors should definitely take the opportunity to go to a conference relating to their major or type of organization that will help them find a job,” he said.