Kevin Andia-Hernández

Year of MA/PhD: 1st year of MA in Applied Linguistics Minor in Spanish

Kevin was born and raised in Chile, South America. He is a first-born generation to pursue university education in his family.

In 2021 he received a Bachelor of Education from Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile.

During his undergraduate program, he got involved in Spanish teaching social campaigns with Haitian immigrants communities in Chile. Moreover, he was given the opportunity to have international teaching experience at a public school in Saint Paul, MN. In 2020, his alma mater recognized him as an outstanding student from the Faculty of Education.

Currently, he works as a Graduate Part-Time Instructor at Texas Tech University while pursuing his MA in Applied Linguistics.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Sociolinguistics; Inclusive Language; SLA; Teaching Beliefs

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A in Education, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile 2021

Email:kandiahe@ttu.edu

Yazarei Bazaldúa

Year of MA/PhD: 2nd year of MA in Spanish Literature and Cultures

Yazarei was born Lubbock, Texas. She completed her B.A. in History and Spanish at Texas Tech University. She is currently pursuing her MA in Hispanic Literature and Cultural Studies.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Border relations, Cultural studies, Identity, Translation and Interpretation, Culture and Music relations, Mexican American culture

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. Double Major in History & Spanish Texas Tech University, 2021

Email:yazarei.bazaldua@ttu.edu

 

Teresa Buriticá

Year of MA/PhD: 1st year of MA in Spanish Literature and Cultures

Teresa was born in Cali, Colombia. She has completed her studies as a Criminal Lawyer and worked as a prosecutor attorney in her native country before moving to the States. She also has taught Spanish at several Universities in USA.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Writing to increase Critical Thinking Performance. Politics and Postmodernism Innovation of teaching techniques for the retention of low-income students

Academic Background (previous studies):

JD Law Degree, Universidad Santiago de Cali

Post-Graduate studies in Criminal law and Criminology, Universidad Libre

MA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Universidad de Salamanca

Email:Tburitic@ttu.edu

 

Mia Clapp

Year of MA/PhD: 2nd year of MA in Spanish Literature and Cultures

Mia grew up in Lubbock, Texas. She attended the historic Lubbock High School where she received a globally recognized diploma in an International Baccalaureate Program. She received the Chancellor's Scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied biology for a year before returning to the milder climate in Texas. At Texas Tech University, a Special Topics in Latin America class changed her academic journey and led to a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Spanish. With help from important people in the CMLL department, Mia received the opportunity to study in the Spanish Literature and Culture Masters Program. She hopes to be admitted to a national doctoral program in the fall of 2023 to study Latin American political history. 

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Latin America; Post-Marxism; Latin American Communist History; Politics of Truth; Politics of the Communist World; Ethnology; Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in Anthropology with a Spanish minor, Texas Tech University, 2020

International Baccalaureate Diploma from Lubbock High School, 2016

Email:mia.clapp@ttu.edu

 

Mayerly Cusson

Year of MA/PhD: 

Mayerly was born in Cali Colombia, where she completed a bachelor's degree in Foreign Language Teaching at Universidad del Valle. She has several years of experience teaching English, Spanish and French in different institutions for different learners (children, teenagers and adults). She developed an interest in second language acquisition in adult learners and cognitive sciences theory throughout the years of experience. In 2015 she had the opportunity to teach languages online, which instilled a love for instructional technology in her. She is pursuing a master's degree in Applied Linguistics now but is planning to pursue a second master's in instructional technology.

 

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Second language learning and teaching, attention and memory, linguistics, curriculum design, instructional design, second language assessment

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A in Foreign Language Education, Universidad del Valle

Email:naysanch@ttu.edu

 

Missael Duarte Somoza

Year of MA/PhD: Ph.D. Candidate in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies. Minor in Portuguese Language and Literatures. 

Missael is from Nicaragua. He first moved to the United States to pursue a MAF in Creative Writing at The University of Texas at El Paso. He decided to continue with the Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. His dissertation explores the connections between the Anthropocene, the body, and peripheral territories in Latin America.  

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Contemporary Mexican, Central American, and Lusophone literature, Creative Writing, Anthropocene, and cultural studies.

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in Law, Universidad Popular de Nicaragua, Managua.

MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso.

Email:Missael.Duarte@ttu.edu

Web site:http://missaelduarte.com

Maya Edwards

Year of MA/PhD: ABD, Ph.D. Student in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies. Minor in Hispanic Linguistics

Maya was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Following multiple study abroad opportunities, she moved to Seville, Spain where she lived for several years. Spanish is the common thread linking Maya's educational and work experiences. She has worked in international education, hospital translation and interpretation, and as a Spanish language educator. Maya is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies. Her dissertation, titled “Feeling Moved” explores intersections of gender, affect, and mobility in a selection of nineteenth-century Spanish Peninsular novels and short stories.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

19th and 20th century Spanish literature; Cultural Studies; Gender studies; Affect theory; Cultural geography and spatial theory; Social justice; Digital literacies; Study abroad

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. Double major in Spanish and Communication Studies, John Carroll University

M.A. Spanish, Cleveland State University

Email:maya.edwards@ttu.edu

 

Omar González

Year of MA/PhD: Ph.D. Candidate in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies. Minor in Portuguese Language and Literatures

Omar is from Manteca, California. He completed his B.A. at CSU Chico in Spanish and Latin American Studies with a minor in History. Then he pursued an M.A. at Wichita State University. Omar is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas Tech University in Border Studies and Cultural Studies. His dissertation explores the search for “identity” in border artists from El Valle region of South Texas and the rejection of imposed labels.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Border Studies, Identity, Chicanx Studies, Latin American Studies, Language and Power, Spanish as a Heritage Language, U.S. Latine Studies, Assimilation, and Immigration

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies, CSU Chico (Chico, CA) 2016
M.A. in Spanish Literature, Wichita State University (Wichita, KS) 2018
Ph.D. candidate in Spanish Literature at Texas Tech University current

Email:Omar.Gonzalez@ttu.edu

Cristina Hernández Oliver

Year of MA/PhD: 2nd year Ph.D. student in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies with a minor in English Literature

Cristina was born and raised in Sevilla, Spain. During a study abroad opportunity in Leicester, England, she took a class in Ethnicity and Diversity in English Literature where she discovered Chicanx poetry. Following her own experience learning English as a second language learner, she saw some of her own struggles reflected in the Chicanx experience. This time abroad, not only made her more curious about the migratory experience per se (given her own life experiences) but also, very deeply aware of the Chicanx struggle to define their own identity, which is what Cristina focuses on in her own research.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Contemporary Chicanx Literature (sp. Chicana Poetry); Identity; Memory; Hybridity; Language and power; Migration; Border Studies; Gender Studies; Ecocriticism

Academic Background (previous studies):

B. A. in English Studies: English Literature, Language and Culture (focus on poetry), Universidad de Sevilla, Spain

M. A. Double master in English Literature and Culture, and Teaching English to Foreigners in Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training and Language Teaching, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain

Email:chernnde@ttu.edu

 

Jorge Hernández  Camacho 

Year of MA/PhD: 1st year Ph.D. student in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies with a minor in Portugues. 

Jorge is from the border Juárez - El Paso. Fronterizo de corazón. He completed a B.A. in Creative Writing at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a MA in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Literature at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and a MA in Teaching with a specialization in Technology at Western New Mexico University (WNMU). 
He has worked as a Spanish teacher at college and secondary levels. His work as a news reporter and freelance writer has been published in different newspapers, magazines, and websites from México, Texas, and New Mexico. He has also collaborated with Vice and worked as a translator. You can check his website here: https://ulises1librero.wixsite.com/jorgeadrian

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Visual and avant-garde poetry. Theater / Performance.Creative Writing. Poetry translation. Hybridism Contemporary Hispanic Literature. Zines and books as art objects. Art and Installation. Graphic and website design. Media production. 3-D Open sources. Language acquisition. Curriculum, and educational material design (w/ emphasis on creativity and technology integration

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in Creative Writing. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

MA in Spanish w/ a concentration in Hispanic Literature. New Mexico State University (NMSU) 

MA in Teaching w/ a specialization in Technology. Western New Mexico University (WNMU). 

Email:her64269@ttu.edu

 

Jazmyn Martinez

Year of MA/PhD: 2nd year of MA in Hispanic Linguistics

Jazmyn Martinez was born in El Paso, TX. She completed her B.A. in Spanish and Sociology at Texas Tech University. She is currently pursuing her MA in Hispanic Linguistics.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Sociolinguistics, bilingualism, phonetics and phonology

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. Spanish and Sociology Magna Cum Laude, Texas Tech University 2021

Email:jazmyn.l.martinez@ttu.edu

Veronica Morales

Year of MA/PhD: Ph.D. Candidate in Spanish Literature

Veronica was born in México and raised in El Paso TX. She pursued a doctoral program in Spanish Literature. Her dissertation explores the Cuban transculturation since diaspora.

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Afro Caribbean Studies, Pre-Hispanic mythology, Cultural Studies, 20th Century Latin American Literature

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies (UTEP)

M.A. in Spanish at the University of Texas at El Paso. 

Ph.D. Candidate in Spanish Literature at Texas Tech University

Email:veronica29.morales@ttu.edu

Daniel Román Zúñiga

Year of MA/PhD: 3rd year Ph.D. student in Hispanic Linguistics

Daniel comes from Chiapas, Mexico. After completing his B.A., he participated in different educational programs in different universities of the U.S. In such programs, Daniel found the richness of Spanish language education and decided to pursue his M.A. and Ph.D in the field. Daniel is currently a Ph.D. candidate with his dissertation entitled “The use of writing conferences with indirect and direct feedback in the development of infographics as a planning writing task.”

Research interests; thesis topic/title:

Second Language Writing, Spanish as a heritage language, Multimodality, Multiliteracies, Psycholinguistics, Translation studies 

Academic Background (previous studies):

B.A. in English Language Teaching, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas

M.A. in Second Language Acquisition with Emphasis in Spanish, Kansas State University

Email:dromanzu@ttu.edu