I received my PhD in Spanish literature and culture from Penn State University in August 2020. I received my B.A. (2013) in Spanish and Comparative Literature from Penn State, and my M.A. (2016) in Spanish literature at Penn State. My areas of specialization are in late 19th/early 20th century Spanish literature, particularly the intersections of literature and film. Through interdisciplinary approaches, my research is dedicated to identifying the interrelations between different media. My dissertation investigates the encounter with the literary and the filmic in the modernist literature of Spain during cinema's silent era.
My interdisciplinary approach to research has led me to develop teaching strategies that promote historical, cultural, and artistic connections. I have taught both basic language courses and upper level literature courses. I have also fulfilled supervising responsibilities as a Co-Director of Penn State’s summer intensive study abroad program in Ronda, Spain, and as Content Supervisor of Intermediate Spanish in Penn State’s Spanish Basic Language Program.
My interdisciplinary approach to research has led me to develop teaching strategies that promote historical, cultural, and artistic connections. I have taught both basic language courses and upper level literature courses. I have also fulfilled supervising responsibilities as a Co-Director of Penn State’s summer intensive study abroad program in Ronda, Spain, and as Content Supervisor of Intermediate Spanish in Penn State’s Spanish Basic Language Program.
Fun Fact: What was spoken first in New Mexico, English or Spanish?
I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Spanish is widely spoken. Dr. John Lipski (Dept. of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese), professor of linguistics at Penn State, says that New Mexico is home to:
"[...] arguably the oldest continually spoken variety of Spanish anywhere in the Americas that has not been updated by more recent immigration."
(Lipski, John. Varieties of Spanish in the United States. Georgetown University Press: 2008, p. 19)