Profile
Life is full of gifts and treasures – my fascination with languages and cultures began in my childhood when my parents taught me that education as well as learning a second language was going to enrich my personal and professional life. It would open the door for me to meet new people, travel/study abroad and discover the world. They enrolled me in English classes when I was in fifth grade, and taught me to appreciate and love the culture of my beloved Colombia, South America. There, I completed a BA (Licenciatura) in Modern Languages, where I learned the importance of not only gaining academic knowledge but also having a social vision. My Colombian roots (including the difficult times) taught me to respect human dignity, to fight for my goals and dreams, and to do and give my best. A Fulbright Scholarship to pursue graduate school at Stony Brook University, opened the world to me and I became bicultural. My doctoral dissertation on Politeness in Language: Directive Speech acts in Colombian and Castilian Spanish, and U.S. English exemplifies this as well as my desire to be an ambassador of Colombia and the United States, as well as helping to build bonds of peace and understanding among the cultures of the world. I am also married to a wonderful man who speaks four languages. He has lived in several countries, and has family roots in four countries and two continents. In all, I thank God, who has given me so many blessings and opportunities.
Academic Credentials
Doctor of Arts on Hispanic Linguistics at State University of New York at Stony Brook
Master of Arts on Applied Linguistics at State University of New York at Stony Brook
Professional Credentials
Spanish OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) certification from ACTFL (American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages)
K-12 North Carolina Spanish Licensure
Past President and Vice-President of AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese) -NC chapter
Research
Processing instruction/learning of verbal tenses in L2; strategies to assess and use student errors to promote learning; politeness in language; language and power; teaching strategies to promote cultural understanding of the Hispanic World.Awards
Fulbright Scholarship to pursue MA in Applied Linguistics at State University of New York at Stony Brook
Full Scholarship to pursue Doctor of Arts at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
Publications
“Communicative Models to Teach the Spanish Subjunctive.” Journal of RMMLA (Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association) (2006)
“Towards Communicative Competency: Matching Teaching and Testing” (with Veronique Machelidon, Callie Holland, Brent Pitts) at ERIC (Education Resources Information Center Paper published ) (2006).
Book review of “Topics in Language and Culture for Teachers.” RMMLA (2008).
Review of the multi-media program “Who is Oscar Lake.” Hispania, Journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Vol. 87, No. 3, September 2004, 514-516.
