I am inspired by Gloria Anzaldúa’s call to “do work that matters," and by Dr. Angela Davis's words, "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." I came to the University of Minnesota to be part of the General College whose mission of access, equity, and social justice resonated with my teaching and scholarship. I currently serve as Director of First Year Writing and Director of Faculty Engagement for CLA’s Career Readiness initiative.
My publications include 8 books, as well as articles. Most recently, I coauthored a FYE book, Approaching College with Purpose (2022). I have published 3 books that focus on equity-centered and inclusive pedagogy and faculty development: Teaching Interculturally (2017, Stylus); Engaging Dissonance (2017, Emerald); and Engaging Diversity in Undergraduate Classrooms (2012, ASHE).
I have taught first-year writing and basic writing; U.S. literature; multicultural literature; graduate teaching practicum; doctoral seminars in critical and feminist pedagogy, composition theory and research methods. I am honored to be a recipient of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award and the University of Minnesota’s Morse Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.
Educational Background
- PhD: English and Writing Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1995
- MA: English and Writing Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- BA: English and Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1989