I am a native of Chiriqu铆, Republic of Panama and raised in a family of educators. My father being a university professor, so not surprisingly I too chose a path in academia. I lived in Panama until moving to the United States.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Linguistics from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County with a concentration in Spanish and a Certificate in Secondary Education, I taught high school Spanish in Maryland for several years. In 2008, I attended Texas A&M University to pursue an M.A. in Spanish and a Ph.D in Hispanic Studies.
My Ph.D. research dealt with the representation of violence in Central American narrative and resulted in a dissertation entitled 鈥淟a violencia en la narrativa de ficci贸n Centroamericana del siglo XX鈥�. The dissertation examines depictions of violence in Central American narratives from the colonial period through independence to post-civil war using the works of four novelists: Tatiana Lobo, Rosa Mar铆a Britton, Horacio Castellanos Moya and Rodrigo Rey Rosa. More recently, I extended my research to address concepts of negritude and representations of afro-descendants in the works of Rosa Mar铆a Britton.
My research interests include 20th and early 21st century Latin American literature with a specialty in Central American literature. I also have a strong interest in the use of emerging technology in the classroom. I can鈥檛 wait to see how ChatGPT will be used in the language classroom. While teaching at University of Tennessee-Knoxville, I piloted a virtual-reality-enhanced version of Spanish II. My teaching specialization is in all levels of Spanish language with a special emphasis on Spanish for Heritage speakers.
I joined the faculty at King in the Fall of 2022 where I teach several Spanish courses.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, camping and spending time with my husband, our daughter and her two dogs. When we return home to Panama, we look forward to visiting our favorite places: the beautiful waters of the Caribbean in Portobelo, the sandy beaches of the Pacific, and the Highlands of Chiriqu铆, where the mist-covered mountains are home to my favorite shrub Coffea arabica.
Education
- Ph.D. Hispanic Studies 鈥� Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2017)
- M.A. Spanish 鈥� Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2010)
- B.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics 鈥� Univ. of Maryland-Baltimore County, (2002)
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Publications and Presentations
- 鈥淟a representaci贸n de la presencia africana en las obras literarias de Rosa Mar铆a Britton鈥� at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference: Langugaes, Literatures and Cultures, of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 11-13, 2019
- 鈥淎cercamiento al concepto de negritud en las obras literarias de Rosa Mar铆a Britton鈥� presented at the Quinta Conferencia sobre Etnicidad, Raza y Pueblos Ind铆genas en Am茅rica Latina y el Caribe, Universidad San Miguel Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoac谩n, Mexico, October 4-6, 2017.
- 鈥淟a diabla en el espejo: Reflejos de la violencia en El Salvador de posguerra鈥� presented at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference: Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 2015.
- 鈥淭he (Un)changing Role of Race in Post-Colonial Panama鈥檚 Search for National Identity in Rosa Maria Britton鈥檚 The Common Casket鈥� presented at XXVII Biennial Louisiana Conference on Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Feb 18, 2012.
- 鈥淭he Construction of National Identity in Rosa Maria Britton鈥檚 The Common Casket鈥� presented at Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Nov. 2, 2011.
- Pacing Guide 鈥� Spanish Level II. Internally published by Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Department of Curriculum. 2007
- Pacing Guide 鈥� Spanish for Heritage Speakers. Internally published by Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Department of Curriculum. 2006
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Certifications and Training:
- State of Colorado Teacher Certification in Spanish
- Professional Teacher License (K-12), 2022-2029
- University of Texas, El Paso, TX
- Certificate in AP Spanish Literature and Culture (Summer 2021)
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
- Graduate Certificate in Language Teaching with Technology (Spring 2020)
- State of Maryland Teacher Certification in Spanish
- Standard Professional Certificate (7-12), 2003-2009