I am new to blogging but am so excited to be writing for such an awesome group of followers! My name is Charla and I am in my second year as a Master’s candidate in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico (UNM). I am pleased to be working under the supervision of Keira as a graduate assistant in K-12 outreach programs at the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute. I will be your World Wide Web (WWW) blogger every Friday for this year and I look forward to bringing you a multitude of culturally diverse and dynamic resources every week! Before I post my first WWW resource, I wanted to take some time to introduce myself and my interests in Latin America! My interests in Latin America first derived from a service trip I did to Ochomogo, Nicaragua, in 2011. After this exposure to a Latin American country, I fell in love with the traditions, music, culture, and languages of the region and knew for certain I would dedicate a major part of my life to studying it. Subsequently, I spent six months in Puebla, Mexico, studying at the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. While enrolled, I volunteered in a preschool, where I taught Basic English to children between the ages of 3 and 5, which is the most memorable part of my study abroad experience.
I came to UNM after completing my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Spanish Literature at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. After graduating in May 2014, I traveled to Colombia to backpack the country for a month with friends. More recently, over this past summer, I spent time in different parts of Cuba and Haiti, where I first studied economic sustainability and then Haitian Creole, respectively. All of my experiences thus far have led me to pursue concentrations in economics and gender studies here at UNM, where I am also working as a graduate assistant.
Outside of school, I enjoy running, going to the movie theater, and eating half-price appetizers at Applebee’s after 9pm. Since childhood, I have aspired to become a teacher and still have hopes of doing so one day. I am considering bilingual education as a career choice down the road, but I am currently uncertain what my next step will be directly following graduation. Nevertheless, I feel very blessed to be a part of this program and I am so happy to be working with such great faculty, students, and community members.
With warmest wishes,
Charla
I’m so glad that you’re writing with us this year! Welcome to the blog!
Thanks Katrina! I’m excited to be working with such a great team!! 🙂
Ditto Katrina’s welcome! We are enthused to have you join us on the blog this year!