Spanish Faculty

Prof. Donna Carrier

Donna Carrier is from New York, but she has lived in Arizona since coming out for grad school at ASU in the early ‘90’s. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Spanish at State University of New York at Albany and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education at Arizona State University, and she has pursued graduate level Spanish studies at the University of Phoenix and in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She also taught English in Hermosillo, Mexico. She is a veteran high school Spanish teacher who taught for two years at Apache Junction High School and for 26 years at Highland High School in Gilbert, where she spent most of those years building and maintaining the Dual Credit Spanish program and was awarded the Town of Gilbert Educator of the Year in 2004.

Donna is passionate about teaching, Spanish language and culture, and working with immigrants and refugees. She has done volunteer work with these groups, both through the Red Cross and through Valley churches. In addition, she has devoted a great deal of time on her own studying and researching border issues for the last 20 years. She is an avid hiker who loves all Arizona has to offer. In addition, she loves to travel, skiing, and spending time with family, friends, and her two mini Schnauzers.

Prof. Jason Anderton

Jason Anderton graduated with a Bachelor degree in Spanish from Brigham Young University and an M.Ed. in TESOL from Grand Canyon University.  Currently he is pursuing another Masters degree from New Mexico State University in Spanish (Linguistics).

He has extensive experience teaching Spanish and English (ESL) in both secondary and higher education settings (Highland High School, Basha High School, Mesa Community College, Brigham Young University Idaho-online, Brigham Young University M.T.C., and Chandler Gilbert Community College). He has also lived and worked in Argentina, Spain, and Puerto Rico. He loves teaching and learning with his students and considers himself very lucky to have the good fortune of being a teacher.

Prof. Bárbara Asenjo

Barbara Asenjo is a passionate and experienced Spanish Instructor with six years of teaching experience. Originally from Cuba, Barbara has a diverse cultural background and has lived in various Spanish-speaking countries, including Argentina, Mexico, and Spain, enriching her understanding of the language and its cultural nuances. In addition to her teaching experience, Barbara has also taught Literature and Spanish for the Professions courses, showcasing her versatility and expertise in the field. Her ability to teach literature provides students with a deeper cultural context for their language learning journey. Barbara holds an ABD status (All But Dissertation) in Spanish/Latin American Literature and Cultural Studies from Arizona State University, along with a Master's degree in Spanish/Latin American Literature and Cultural Studies from the same institution. Her teaching journey began with a deep love for the Spanish language and its rich cultural heritage. She believes in the importance of a comprehensive language education that combines linguistic skills with cultural understanding. Barbara's dynamic and interactive teaching approach incorporates authentic cultural elements to make learning engaging and practical. Her goal is to inspire a lifelong appreciation for the Spanish language and the diverse cultures it represents. Whether students are just starting their language learning journey or seeking to refine their skills, Barbara is there to support and guide them on this exciting language adventure.

Prof. David Salinas

David Salinas was born in Mexico City and raised in Phoenix. He graduated with Bachelor degrees in Spanish and History and a Master’s degree in Spanish from Arizona State University.

Professor Salinas is an experienced native language educator who has taught all levels of Spanish in various modalities such as in-person, online, live online and hybrid. He also has experience teaching humanities courses in Chicana/Chicano Studies and Hispanic Heritage in the Southwest.

He loves to teach, travel, read, play the guitar and the piano and likes to spend as much time as possible with family, friends and colleagues. He is also a big fan of boxing.

Dr. Norma López

I am from Bolivia. I live in Arizona since 1999. I hold a PhD Degree in Spanish Literature from Arizona State University.

During my academic and professional formation, teaching and education has been the foundation. My professional degree is in education and curricula based on dialogic pedagogy of Paulo Freire. I was able to apply this pedagogical approach in a project with a Mexican population of immigrants in the southern part of Phoenix in 2002 for my master degree in Bilingual Education. Later I finished a master degree in Spanish Literature in 2013 with a thesis research on Bolivian women contemporary writers. Currently I am continuing with a doctorate and research in the field of cultural and women studies.

I have been teaching lower and upper division classes as a Teacher Assistant and Faculty Adjunct at Arizona State University since 2003.  I organized prepared and implemented classes using active learning strategies, with a focus on student engagement and motivation. Last year I had the opportunity to teach at North East University (NEU) in Shenyang-China. An unforgettable experience.  My passion is traveling, learning new languages and sharing experiences with other cultures. I hope we can create a community of learners in which we can learn a lot from each other.

Dr. Nelson Suárez

Nelson Suarez moved from Bolivia to Arizona in 1998 and later he graduated from Arizona State University as a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature (with emphasis in Latin American Literature, and a minor in Applied Linguistics) in 2011. His dissertation was an interpretative reading of Visual Poetry of the Avant-Garde in Latin America and Spain in the early XX century. Since 1998, Nelson has taught all levels of Spanish, and Spanish for the Professions while being a lecturer at ASU. He has also taught elementary Spanish at Mesa, Gateway, and Chandler Gilbert Community Colleges. Nelson was part of a Spanish partner program with ASU in Shenyang, China for two years. He has extensive experience in face-to-face, hybrid and online classes. Other than loving languages, Nelson loves philosophy and art in general whether is drawing, painting, music, sculpture, dance, or architecture. He has had the fortune to visit almost all Western Europe, China, Canada and Peru.