Director, Spanish for Heritage/Bilingual Speakers
Teaching Assistant Professor of Spanish
Department of Spanish Language, Literary and Cultural Studies (SLLCS)
As founder and director of the Spanish for Heritage/Bilingual Students at DU, Lina works to create courses in the Department of Spanish Language, Literary and Cultural Studies that intentionally incorporate the heritage student experience in the institution. Specifically, she directs an effort to create spaces of Spanish learning on campus where students who already identify as speakers of Spanish can further their academic language while also mobilizing their (linguistic) identity as U.S. Latinxs. Lina’s classes are spaces where students can explore the reality and implications of Spanish as a U.S language---a process that requires critical exploration, community support and inclusive spaces of learning. Lina’s research explores the non-traditional yet innovative ways in which linguistically diverse students navigate Spanish academic contexts, with special interest in the implications of their language practices for educational access and pedagogical equity in Spanish programs. She received her PhD in Spanish Linguistics from the University of California, Davis in 2018.
Thinking about Spanish as the third most spoken language in the entire world, the opportunities that that brings, and realizing that you already have that with you, you just need a particular way of developing it. You're almost there. It's a privilage. It's and advantage, so you should certainly go for it.