Hello everyone! My name is Dalia Magaña and I was born and raised in San Jose, CA. I received a BA in both Spanish and Linguistics at a wonderful University known as UCD. I am a Spanish Linguistics graduate student. I learned Spanish at home growing up and keep learning about it today as it is such rich language that there is always something new to learn. I enjoy learning about other varieties of Spanish and am especially interested in code-switching or "Spanglish". I hope we will have a great quarter and that you will learn to communicate in Spanish. ¡Bienvenidos y hasta pronto!

¡Hola! My name is Raquel GarcÍa and I am currently a grad student going for my Master's under the Latin American Literature in the Spanish department. I am also a UCD alum so I am happy to be back for a second round! Some of my academic interests include Mexican short story, poetry and narrative both contemporary and from the 19th century. This interest developed very when I went to study abroad in 2006 at la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). It was through the Education Abroad Program (EAP) here on campus, that I was able to have an amazing experience. It is an opportunity that I would recommend to any student who is adventurous, loves to travel, and like me, has an interest learning different cultures!

¡Saludos! My name is Kelly Bilinski and I am a PhD student in Spanish Linguistics. I am from Pleasanton, CA and although my grandmother was from Sonora, Mexico, I did not grow up speaking Spanish at home. Instead, I started learning Spanish at age 10 in school and have never looked back! I have lived in Spain and Argentina and traveled to many other Spanish speaking countries and I can't wait to visit more. I love teaching Spanish and my research interest is in the field of Second Language Acquisition. Aside from teaching, studying, and traveling, I love music, running, soccer, baseball and spending time with my family and friends. ¡Hasta pronto!

Hi! My name is Mirtha Justiniano Kaufman. I'm a first year graduate student in the Spanish linguistics program. I graduated from CSU San Marcos with a B.A. degree in Spanish Language and Culture. My parents are from Bolivia and I grew up in Bolivia, Perú, Chile and Brazil. It was a great experience! Before moving to Davis, I worked for over 10 years as a State Certified interpreter/translator in San Diego, CA. I love traveling, spending time with my family and trying new restaurants. See you in class!

My name is Matthew Zealand and I am a first year Masters student in Hispanic Linguistics. I grew up in a small town in the mountains of western Maryland before attending Towson University in Baltimore. A year abroad in Murcia, Spain, as an undergraduate student forever changed my perspective on language -- and life. Upon completion of my degree in psychology and Spanish literature, I spent three years teaching English in Madrid and traveling all throughout Spain. I've dedicated the last two years to teaching high school Spanish in the Bay Area and trips to Mexico, Europe and Morocco. My passions include Ernest Hemingway, el fútbol, and Spanish food and cinema.

¡Hola! My name is Consuelo Cervantes and I am from the city where Cesar salad was invented: Tijuana, México. There I completed my B.A in Hispanic-American literature at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. I got my M.A at San Diego State University with an emphasis in Latin American Lit. I like big cities, urban life, and people in general, and at the same time I love nature and the peacefulness of a wonderful place like Davis. I want to complete my Ph.D in Latin American Literature. For those tired of being monolinguals, mi clase es su clase (my class is your class).

Tim Johnson is a first-year graduate student focusing on Early Modern and Colonial Spanish literature. Raised in Colorado with a B.A. in English Literature from C.U. Boulder, he has been a bicycle tour leader in Spain, a translator, and a high school teacher in Denver. His first culinary travel experience was to the Soviet Union and he recently went to Japan with the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. He is the 2007 President's Award recipient from the Norton Colorado motorcycle club.

¡Hola! My name is Manuel Gómez-Navarro and I'm from Cordoba, Spain. I'm a first year graduate student and my field of interest is Latin American studies (my plan is to cross the whole continent). I was living in Missouri last year teaching Spanish in a college and, before this, I was teaching in my hometown, Alcala de Henares (Madrid) and Morocco. I love travel, reading, cooking and movies. I'm an enthusiastic teacher and I hope you enjoy my class.