La Profesora Inspiradora

I am an Associate Professor of Spanish and have over a decade of experience teaching language, literature, and culture at the college level, including our Spanish course for heritage speakers. I also serve as the department chair for the language department and work as a faculty mentor in our Achievement Plus program for first-generation college students.

Before making the move to higher education, I worked in an elementary school for 3 years, 2 of which I spent as the librarian for students in grades K-6, and one of which I spent teaching Spanish for students in grades pK-6.

My mission is to support secondary Spanish teachers who want to transition from traditional grammar- and vocabulary-based language instruction to a more communicative approach.

My mantra is “Communication, not perfection!”

WHAT I’M ALL ABOUT:
✽ Scaffolded and differentiated resources help support students!
✽ Real-world communicative activities engage students!
✽ A focus on what students can do inspires students!
✽ Connecting cultural products to the values, perspectives, and beliefs those products represent turns students into global citizens!

Awards:
✽ The Multifarious Faculty Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, King's College, 2022
✽ Rev. Donald J. Grimes Award for Service-Learning Teaching Excellence, King's College, 2019
✽ Faculty Summer Research Grant, King's College, 2019
✽ Innovation in Teaching Grant, King's College, 2016
✽ Catherine Ham Memorial Award, University of Chicago, 2007
✽ Emilie Watts McVea Scholar, Sweet Briar College, 2001-2004
✽ W. Edward Overly Award in Spanish, Sweet Briar College, 2004
✽ Rickards Scholar, Sweet Briar College, 2001

Honor Society Memberships:
✽ Phi Beta Kappa
✽ Sigma Delta Pi, National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society
✽ Alpha Mu Gamma, National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society
✽ Delta Epsilon Sigma, National Honor Society for Catholic Colleges and Universities
✽ Iota Sigma Pi, National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry
✽ Alpha Lambda Delta, National Honor Society for First-Year Students

✽ MA, MPhil, PhD in Spanish, Yale University
Dissertation: "'Al revés anda ya el mundo': The inversion motif in the Spanish Golden Age"

✽ MA in Humanities, University of Chicago

✽ BA in Spanish and Chemistry, Sweet Briar College
Summa Cum Laude, Honors Degree, Highest Honors in Spanish

I am a happily married mother of a 9 year old and I love to have fun! In my spare time, I love to get lost in a good book or do puzzles, and I am fascinated by fonts.