Assistant Professor of Spanish Uriel Quesada was awarded the prestigious National Áncora Prize in Literature 2003-2004 for his book Lejos, tan lejos, a collection of short stories. The award was presented by the newspaper La Nación in March in San José, Costa Rica. The Áncora Prize is one the level of the American Pulitzer.

Quesada fields of research include Central American and Caribbean literatures, cultural studies, popular culture, and gay and lesbian studies. He is currently completing a book on Central American detective fiction. Quesada also has published fiction. His previous publications include Ese día de los temblores (short-stories, 1985), El atardecer de los niños (short-stories, 1990), Larga vida al deseo (short-stories, 1996), and Si trina la canaria (novella, 1999).

He received a doctorate from Tulane University in 2003, master’s of arts degree from Mexico State University in 1999, and a bachelor’s of arts degree from Universidad de Costa Rica in 1990.

Also, Rachelle Washington, a major in modern foreign languages and literature, won a scholarship for study abroad by the National Spanish Society. She published and article about her experience in the society's (national) journal, Entre Nosotros (Spring 2005).