Shelley Dykstra

PROFILE

I am originally from the Bay Area, so I’m happy to be studying what I love, Hispanic Linguistics, and serving students so close to home. I have become an avid language aficionado of both my native tongue, English, and of my second language, Spanish. Both languages represent my evolving identity; English is my home base and my comfort zone while Spanish is my window to see the world through others’ eyes, my motivation for social justice, my outlet for creativity, and my lifelong endeavor. My experience teaching Spanish and English as a Second Language spans ten years, two continents, and a variety of ages and topics. My special interests are student success and equity, pedagogy, heritage language learners, second language acquisition, and learning communities such as Puente. In my free time, I volunteer coaching water polo, dance Bachata, a Latin dance from the Dominican Republic, make homemade ice cream and other sweets, bike around town or take longer bike touring trips, or I stay in with a good book and my cat.

EDUCATION AND DEGREE(S)

• M.A. in Spanish Linguistics, University of Barcelona
• B.A. in Linguistics Language Study, University of California, San Diego

RESEARCH INTEREST(S)

• Bilingualism/advanced biliteracy
• Code switching
• Spanish in the US
• Pedagogy
• Second language acquisition
• Heritage language learners
• Linguistic variation
• Race and ethnicity
• Border studies
• Immigration
• Technology-enhanced learning
• Student equity
• Underrepresented groups

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Provost’s Fellowship in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (2018-2019)