About the Bloggers—Spring 2010

Aidalí (Lay) Aponte-Avilés finished her Bachelors degree in Biomedics at the Inter American University, and her Masters in Hispanic Studies at the University of Puerto Rico. Her Masters thesis was La reencarnación de los dioses: Mitopoesis en la narrativa de Horacio Quiroga y Adolfo Bioy Casares.  Currently, she is finishing her PhD at the University of Connecticut. Her interests are Latin American literature, comics and cinema focusing on globalization, history and nature.

Sarah Freeman is a PhD student in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut. She received her MA in CLCS from the University of Connecticut in 2008, and her BA in English Literature and French from Western Washington University. She has taught courses at UCONN since 2007 in both Modern and Classical Languages and the English Department. Sarah’s research interests include Francophone Literature, Human Rights and African Drama.

Aleksey Novikov graduated from Perm State Technical University in 2006 with a degree in Translation and Interpretation. After graduation he worked as an English instructor at the same University. Currently, he is teaching Russian at Cal State, San Bernardino on a Fulbright program. This quarter I am also taking Telecommunications online class at my University and I will be doing blogging there too. You are welcome to visit my blog.

Chenwen Hong is currently a 2nd-year PhD student in Comparative Literature of the University of Connecticut. She has taught Academic Writing for one year at the University of Maryland. She also TAed Chinese culture courses and Chinese language courses at the University of Connecticut. She is very much interested in war literature and British imperialism regarding China. She now teach-assists Classical Mythology and Modern Chinese Culture.

Barbara Lindsey has directed the Multimedia Language Center at the University of Connecticut since 1996 and given presentations and workshops on Internet-based language instruction at the state and national level. She has twelve years experience teaching German language and literature at the university level, and for the private business sector as well as after school enrichment programs. She has served as project director on three federally funded grants and is a past president of the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers (2004-2006).

Suzanne Ondrus is in her third year in the Ph.D. Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies program at the University of Connecticut.  Her focus is on West African women writers and Contemporary American poetry.  She did her M.F.A. in Poetry at Bowling Green State University, her M.A. in Creative Writing at Binghamton University and her B.A. in International Business and Management at Wells College.  She’s taught in Russia, Germany and Benin and she is from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Suzanne is excited by the possibility of teaching from anywhere with technology!

Celeste Arrieta is a Juris Doctor at the University of Moron, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently,  completing last semester Masters degree in Spanish and Latin American Literatures at the University of Connecticut, Storrs and teaching Spanish for the College of Modern and Classical Languages, University of Connecticut, Storrs as a Teaching Assistant and Spanish Instructor. She has been a Foreign Language Instructor for the Ministry of Education, Buenos Aires, Argentina for 12 years and Foreign Language Coordinator for 3 years. Interpreter and translator in several events for the University of Moron and for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. Participated in several Education, Law, Drama and Literary Workshops, Trainings, Seminars and Congresses in Argentina and abroad. Interested in Education, Literature, Hispanic Literature, Women Studies, Theater and Drama, Art and Cultures.

Blanca García has a BA in Tourism and a BA in Translation and Interpreting. She has worked in both fields in Spain and the UK. She has also taught English and CAT tools in her home country, and is currently TAing Spanish  in the US. At the moment she is about to finish her Master in Linguistics Applied to Teaching English as a Foreign Language, while completing the second semester of the Master in Spanish and Latinamerican Literature at UConn.

Kemen Zabala is currently a teaching assistant at the University of Connecticut and is in the process of completing a Master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Literature. She holds a BA in English with a minor in History. After graduating, she hopes to becoming certified in the state of Connecticut in order to teach Spanish in grades 7-12, which is why she has an interest in investigating ways to incorporate technology in the classroom as well as other pedagogical tools in order to improve her teaching skills and promote/generate interest towards the Spanish language across the United States.

Christopher Laine is in his second year of the PhD in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut.  He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Michigan.  Since 2006 he has taught Greek Civilization, Roman Civilization, Classical Mythology, and Introduction to World Literature in the department of Modern and Classical Languages at UCONN.  His research interests include modernist literature and critical theory.