It made Gast realize the missed opportunity of not experiencing different cultures as a student. Now, he's hooked. We need to become culturally sensitive to others. Gast was a recipient of the Learning Spanish in Fellowship Mexico, an annual award offered by UGA's Office of International Development. Award recipients learn Spanish at the School of Foreign Students, part of the Universidad Veracruzana.
Faculty also can work with colleagues there.
He says it's difficult to recruit Latin American students because many of them can't afford to come to the United States. Gast underscores the importance of looking at different cultures.