The Journey of Dr. Cortijo

Dr. Adelaida Cortijo is the Chairperson of the Modern Languages Department at Slippery Rock University. Becoming a chairperson is a huge accomplishment, but she has more accomplishments than just this one. She was born and raised in Spain and never left her country — until 1995. This is the year she decided to move away from most of her family members in Spain join her brother in the United States. She flew from Spain to Texas, where the native languages switch from Spanish to English. When she landed in the Texas airport, she did not speak any English yet.

Dr. Cortijo discusses her first time coming to the United States.

“Landing in Texas was scary for several reasons: I couldn’t read or speak English, I could not understand the strong Texas accent, it was my first time leaving my home country, family and friends, and I didn’t have a Visa yet,” Dr. Cortijo said.

It took a lot of courage for her to move to a new country that she hardly knew anything about and only knew a few people living in it. Not everyone could do that, but she did and she does not regret doing so.

She explains the difficulties of landing in Texas without knowing much English.

Her main reason for moving to America was to continue her studies. While she still lived in Spain, she received a Master of Arts in Library Science from Universidad San Pablo C.E.U. in Madrid. Her first school choice in America was Texas Tech University. After studying there for three years, she obtained another Master’s Degree and decided to continue her education. Her next move was from Texas to San Francisco so she could get her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

“Here is a fun fact about my official PhD diploma from the University of California, Berkeley. When I graduated from there, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Governor of California, so his signature is on my diploma,” Dr. Cortijo said excitedly.

She talks about why she moved to Pennsylvania.

Her next big move was from California to Pennsylvania. In 2006, she received a job offer from Slippery Rock University. When she came to campus for her interview and spent time in the Slippery Rock area, she fell in love with both SRU and Pennsylvania. Her and her husband decided to reside here and have stayed in Pennsylvania ever since.

“My husband is from Portugal and I am from Spain, so Pennsylvania was a big change for both of us. Luckily, we adjusted quickly and made plenty of new friends; we both love it here,” Dr. Cortijo said.

Her take on diversity at Slippery Rock University.

Her plan for the Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 school year.

Dr. Cortijo is spending the next academic year in Spain for her sabbatical. This is exciting news because she will have a year for researching, catching up with old friends and spending time with family. She plans on moving back and forth between Pennsylvania and Spain after her retirement so she can stay close to her family and friends. Why choose one country to always stay in if you love both?

She discusses where she sees herself living in the future.

Dr. Gisela Dieter, one of Dr. Cortijo's coworkers, talks about why Dr. Cortijo is an outstanding department chairperson.

Dr. Cortijo is, in the opinion of various students and professors, one of the best professors at SRU. She is intelligent, helpful, compassionate and hilarious. She cares deeply about her job, her students and her coworkers. Moving away from your home country would be extremely difficult and it takes a strong person to do so. Her life is filled with adventure.

Zachary Rosenberger, one of Dr. Cortijo's students, lists some of his favorite qualities about her.

Dr. Cortijo explains how she prepared the Spanish tortilla she brought for everyone to try.

Dr. Cortijo presents Jordyn Holley and Kristen Forrester scholarships to study abroad in Spain for the Summer 2020 semester.

Dr. Cortijo congratulates Jordyn on her scholarship of $500.

Dr. Cortijo asks a student from the French department about his plans after graduation.

Dr. Cortijo presents Janelle Burkett with a senior gift.

Dr. Cortijo and Professor Salwa Vandegrift arrange the room for the Modern Languages and Cultures End of the Year Celebration.

Here is a timeline of her travels.