Bio
I am a Professor of Spanish. In terms of research, I identify broadly as a Caribbeanist and engaged scholar. I publish regularly on Caribbean and Latinx literatures and I also have an active research agenda in the field of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and Community Engagement. I co-direct the Languages and Cultures for Professions (LCP) program at Iowa State and I engage in scholarly networks related to the growing field of Languages for Specific Purposes. My research informs my teaching and my teaching informs my research; in the language classroom I strive for students to celebrate what they can do with the language they are learning, (whether in their first year or fourth year), and to see themselves as part of the target language community from the moment they enter the classroom. Serving in the role of Department Chair, I feel lucky to be reminded every day of the countless ways that #WLCConnects.
Courses Taught (Past & Present)
- SPAN 3040: Spanish for Global Professionals
- SPAN 4450: Seminar on the Literatures and Cultures of Latin America
- WLC 4840/5840: Globalization, Technology & Culture
Selected Publications & Awards
- Neighbor-Homes: Julia Alvarez and Edwidge Danticat Write Hispaniola and the Diaspora (2025)
- The Border of Lights Reader: Bearing Witness to Genocide in the Dominican Republic (2021, co-edited with Edward Paulino)
- Mapping Hispaniola: Third Space in Dominican and Haitian Literature (2019)
Outside the university
I am a busy Mom to four preschool- and elementary-age kids. I spend a lot of time outside of work on the soccer field or coaching youth basketball. As a family, we are big Cyclone fans (we don’t miss a home game during football season or a tailgate opportunity!) and we also enjoy spending holidays and breaks in the Dominican Republic. I’m also an avid runner and an obsessive coffee drinker.