Seven Southwestern students — economics and studio art double major Asin Allavudeen ’27, economics and business major Cody Diez Jennings ’27, biochemistry major Jade Cindy Foka ’28, computer science and psychology double major Alyanna Martinez ’27, computer science and economics double major Juan Martinez Varela ’27, political science major Emma Sanchez ’29, and economics and business major Elias Sarwana ’27 — were selected to compete in the 2026 HSI Battle of the Brains (BOTB), held September 28–October 2 in Austin. This national interdisciplinary competition challenges student teams to tackle a complex business and technology problem in just 24 hours, requiring them to research the problem, develop an innovative and technically feasible solution, and create a business plan and presentation. The week also includes company visits, professional development, and recruiting opportunities with major employers, including Dell Technologies, Thrivent, CrowdStrike, eBay, The Home Depot, and Electronic Arts. Solutions are evaluated by industry experts on both their business and technical merits, with the seven highest scoring teams advancing to the finals. Southwestern was selected as one of those finalists and earned the highest business score in the competition! In addition, Diez Jennings received a scholarship from eBay, marking the second consecutive year a Southwestern student has received an eBay scholarship through the competition. The team was supported throughout the selection, preparation, and competition process by the Office of Student Life, Office of Academic Affairs, Director of the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center & Head of Distinctive Collections Megan Firestone, Director of Student Engagement Jacorey Patterson, Assistant Dean of the Faculty & Professor of Spanish Laura Senio Blair, Board of Visitors Member Zoe Thompson, and team advisors: Director of the Center for Career & Professional Development Adrian D. Ramirez, Associate Professor of Spanish Abby Dings, and Professor of Business Debika Sihi.

Assistant Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Spanish Laura Senio Blair presented a paper titled “Affective Archives and Feminist Memory: Chilean Women Writers and the Politics of Care After the Estallido Social” at the XXXIV Congreso de la Asociación de Estudios de Género y Sexualidad (AEGS) 2026 on May 21 in Oviedo, Spain.

Assistant Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Spanish Laura Senio Blair had her article titled “Unlocking the Door to Shadow and Substance: Nona Fernández’s La dimensión desconocida” published in the 50th issue of the journal Ciberletras: Revista de crítica literaria y de cultura. Learn more here.

Professor of Spanish Laura Senio Blair 2023 has been selected as one of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) 10 academic leadership fellows. The program is aimed at providing leadership experiences to a diverse cohort of humanities faculty members and will combine leadership training, mentoring, and hands-on leadership experiences for a diverse group of tenured humanities faculty as they enter administration leadership.

Professor of Spanish Laura Senio Blair presented a paper at the International Conference of Hispanic Women Filmmakers titled “Burying Ashes and Making Dust: Memorial Acts in the Latin American Road Movie.” The paper analyzed how Ecuadorian film director Tania Hermida subverts and decenters the traditional (Hollywood) characteristics of road films to represent a Latin American and feminist perspective.