The Best

As a Cuban-American born and raised in Miami, Fla., Dr. Stephanie Alvarez knows the importance of having the opportunity to learn about one’s culture and background. That opportunity is what led her to become an assistant professor of Spanish at The University of Texas-Pan American where she encourages students to study their heritage through Spanish and Mexican-American/Latino studies courses.

Alvarez, who played “school” with her sister in their childhood, knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. Active in sports throughout grade school, she went to college “chasing hoop dreams” of becoming a basketball coach and majored in kinesiology, but those ambitions soon changed.

“It wasn’t until my last year in college when I started reading about Latin American literature and history that I started to enjoy reading,” Alvarez said. “For me, it was the first time in all of my schooling that I read anything that I felt related to me. From that point on I just wanted to learn whatever I could about my heritage.”

She changed her major and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama and a master’s from St. Louis University, both in Spanish. She earned a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma with a minor in history and a graduate certificate in Latin American studies in 2006. While studying at OU, her merit as a talented educator and researcher was evident, and she earned the Provost’s Award for Most Outstanding Dissertation in the Humanities and Fine Arts, as well as the Provost’s Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

In August 2009, Alvarez was honored as one of six professors from UTPA to receive The University of Texas System’s first Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. Honored in the contingent faculty category, which included adjuncts, lecturers and instructional assistants, she was among 73 professors from UT System academic institutions who received the awards, which are believed to be among the highest in the country for rewarding outstanding undergraduate faculty performance and innovation. Moreover, she was the only Spanish professor in the UT System to receive the award.

“There are a lot of outstanding Spanish professors in the UT System and to be the only one selected is a great honor,” Alvarez said. “I know that many would see my approach to teaching as non-traditional; however, this reaffirms for me that we must always look for innovative ways to engage our students in the learning process and this is always my number one objective in the classroom.”

Alvarez feels one of the most effective ways for students to discover is through service learning and incorporates it in many of her classes. Her students have participated in the Undergraduate Research Initiative – a program where undergraduate students share in the excitement of research discoveries, work side-by-side with faculty and graduate students who are creating new knowledge, and learn valuable research techniques – through their participation in oral histories, archival research and presentations at conferences.

“There is no better way than service learning for our students to be engaged with the community and create and acquire knowledge that will be of great benefit to the (Rio Grande) Valley and nation as a whole,” she said. “Since 90 percent of our students are Mexican-American and Latino, they have a wealth of experience and knowledge that, if we tap into, can be of great benefit in the field of Mexican-American and Latino studies. With the right support, UTPA could be the leader in these areas. Given the changing demographics of the country, this could position us to be the primary university for students from all over the country to study and for our faculty to be the leaders in the field.”

For Alvarez, providing students with the opportunities to tap into their strengths, acquire and create knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom is one of her greatest rewards as an educator and what guides her instruction methods. Even though she has only been at UTPA for three years, her passion for teaching Spanish and Mexican-American/Latino studies has inspired countless students to embrace the subject matter, learn about their heritage and further their education in the field.

“I know that many students, like me, have been denied the opportunity to learn their language and heritage, and I’m thrilled to help them recover them,” Alvarez said. “I also know how important it is for both Latino and non-Latino students to have an understanding of Latino studies. It is very important for students to be able to provide culturally grounded solutions to issues that arise in their personal, social and professional settings.” Melissa Morin, who earned her bachelor’s in Spanish from UTPA in August 2009 and is now pursuing a master’s in Spanish from Texas A&M University, said Alvarez’s unique teaching style and thought-provoking discussions encouraged her to engage in the course topics and grow personally.

“Dr. Alvarez has been a very positive role model in my current and future academic studies. She is one of the few persons in my life who has made a great impact on me. Her leadership, scholarship and skills as an excellent professor, have given me the ability and knowledge to grow intellectually, and most importantly, academically,” Morin said. “It has been through her advisement and encouragement that I have made the decision of continuing my academic studies at the graduate level.”

Perhaps one of the most influential courses that Alvarez teaches is designed for students from migrant farmworking families. This advanced Spanish composition class and project known as Cosecha Voices, allows students the opportunity to write testimonies related to their migrant experience, and create a digital story based on their testimonies, and present it to the community.

“The class is designed to not only improve the students’ writing skills, but help them come to terms and understand their own experiences as migrants in the hopes that this will empower them to achieve greater academic, personal and professional success,” said Alvarez, who co-teaches the course with Tato Laviera, one of the best-selling Latino poets in the United States. “After all, migrant students are some of the most vulnerable in terms of dropping out of school.”

Juventina Herrera, who is pursuing her master’s in Spanish at UTPA, said she enjoyed the service learning aspect of the Cosecha Voices project because it allowed her to teach writing workshops to local high school and junior high students and encouraged her to continue her education.

“Dr. Alvarez has played a major role in helping me choose a career in teaching. Under her tutelage I have been motivated to strive for and achieve exceptionally high standards in education,” Herrera said. “In many areas, both personally and professionally, Dr. Alvarez has taught me and encouraged me to meet challenges I never before thought possible.”

In addition to the Cosecha Voices project, Alvarez’s other research endeavors analyze the role Spanish departments can play in the education of Latino students at the university, and the use of “Spanglish” in literature, hip-hop and comedy.

As a member of the College of Arts and Humanities Mexican-American Studies Committee, she helped redesign and revive the Mexican-American Studies major and minor which now offer an interdisciplinary approach to the area of study. She also helped create the newly approved graduate certificate in Mexican-American Studies.

“Our committee has worked so hard to ensure that this is a student-friendly degree plan, that the courses are accessible to students, and that there will always be courses available to take,” she said.

Dr. Glenn Martinez, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, said Alvarez’s spirit of service and her enthusiasm for the advancement of the department and its programs are rare jewels that are an asset.

“Dr. Alvarez not only pursues activities with determination and grace, but she also has an unparalleled ability to bring people together on joint projects,” Martinez said. “She is a dedicated teacher, a serious scholar, a vocal advocate for the department, a dynamic and innovative leader for department initiatives, and above all, a compassionate, caring, and highly ethical human being.”

To learn more about Alvarez and her innovative teaching methods, contact the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at 956/381-3441.