I teach courses on language, literature, and culture. I received my Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My research interests include the literature and cultures of early modern Spain; colonial Latin America; contemporary Spain; gender and sexuality; and the creation, use, and revision of nationalist historical narratives, such as the Spanish colonization of the Americas. I also conduct research on the teaching of literature and culture.

I believe the study of language, literature, and culture gives us a means of connecting deeply with diverse world views by gaining insight into how other languages, discourses, and cultures shape human thought and perceptions of reality. My goal is to help students develop tools to examine cultural narratives and power structures critically and learn to shape their own narratives.

In addition to teaching language courses at St. Olaf, I have led study abroad in Ecuador. I have also taught courses on an introduction to Hispanic literatures; a critical approach to Spanish narratives of colonization; race, gender, and social class in Golden Age Spanish literature; Spain's Catholic past as nationalist historical narrative; and women and gender in post-Franco Spain.

My professional work includes publications in La corónica and eHumanista, conference presentations, and two years on the Executive Board of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. I have conducted research in multiple archives in Spain and received research grants and awards to support those endeavors. From 2007-2008, I worked in Seville, Spain, with undergraduate students studying abroad. I served as an English teacher in Bangladesh through the Peace Corps from 1998-2000. I came to St. Olaf in 2011.