Background

Originally from St. Louis, MO, I studied at the University of Missouri-Columbia (lovingly known as Mizzou) and earned my B.A. in linguistics and history. After a couple of gap years that were predominantly spent working as a group exercise instructor, I continued my studies at Mizzou and completed my M.A. in Spanish. I later earned my Ph.D. in Spanish linguistics at the University at Albany, SUNY. Currently, I am Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at DePauw University, where I teach Spanish and linguistics.

When I’m not busy with academic activities, I love reading, traveling, exercise (boxing and yoga being my favorites) and spending time on my creative pursuits (some of which I do professionally! See Creative Work).

Research

My primary fields of research are sociolinguistics and heritage language acquisition (HLA). While my work in these different areas extends over diverse themes, my research is grounded in one broader interest, namely, using qualitative approaches to examine the relationship between language and identity in multilingual contexts.

As a sociolinguist, I am interested in how language interacts with the construction of identity in immigrant contexts. My first book, Multilingualism and Gendered Immigrant Identity: Perspectives from Catalonia (Multilingual Matters, 2022), which focuses on Muslim immigrant women in Catalonia, looks at how gendered, religious identity is brokered through language use and attitudes for multilingual speakers. This project became a springboard for not only expanding on my understanding of multilingualism in Catalonia, but also for exploring Arabic-Spanish contact in Spain, as well as migration in Spain. As I've delved further into my research on these topics, I've also developed a broader interest in text-based analyses (e.g. language policy and new media) as a medium for examining linguistic ideologies. This interest formed the basis of my second book, Policy, Media, and the Shaping of Spain-Morocco Relations: Discursive Representations of Migration to Ceuta and Melilla (Palgrave Macmillan, in press). In this book,  I use sociolinguistic approaches to explore how media discourse on undocumented migration informs Morocco-Spain political relations. Using the cities of Ceuta and Melilla as a case study, I situate them within the wider context of both immigration-related policies and news articles in order to examine how migration is represented in Spain and Morocco. The book connects media discourse with policy discourse, and addresses how these mediums (1) co-construct anti-immigration and xenophobic ideologies, and (2) shape and are shaped by the somewhat strained relations between Spain and Morocco.

In the areas of HLA,  I am interested in applying sociolinguistic approaches to examining language learning, such as focusing on the role of identity and learner attitudes. This can be seen in my recent work on heritage identity and its role in investment in language learning, as well as another study in which I examine the role of code-switching for heritage learners.