I am broadly interested in how language users develop and demonstrate communicative competence, or how they do more than simply conjugate verbs or produce grammatical forms but also adjust their language according to social or contextual factors and implement strategies for successful communication. You can read more about this work in my new co-edited volume with former IU classmate Megan Solon, Communicative competence in a second language: Theory, method, and applications. More of my research in this vein can be found in Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Learning, The Modern Language Journal, and Applied Linguistics.

IU prepared me extensively for my current roles, including through coursework in Spanish and Portuguese, Second Language Studies, and with faculty with joint appointments in Linguistics. This broad training but also great depth in second language acquisition and sociolinguistics helped me stand out in the job market, as did the department’s collaborative culture, encouragement to submit papers for conference presentations and publication, professional development workshops, and strong mentoring from faculty and more senior students. I also benefitted from wonderful experiences taking students to Spain with the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages.

My collaboration with current and former Hoosiers has continued, and I am grateful that IU faculty have graciously provided me with ongoing opportunities and mentoring. First and foremost, Kim Geeslin was an unparalleled advisor who continued to mentor me through my pre-tenure years and beyond. She always had sage advice or encouragement when it was needed most and has been a guiding force in my life for 14 years. She also generously provided me opportunities like contributing chapters when she edited The Cambridge handbook of Spanish linguistics and The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and sociolinguistics. Similarly, Manuel Díaz-Campos has continued to support me and kindly invited me to participate in The Routledge handbook of variationist approaches to Spanish and The handbook of usage-based linguistics. It is a joy to see IU faculty and former classmates at conferences or when we plan separate visits, and besides the aforementioned individuals I have also enjoyed publishing with alums Rebecca Clay, Vanessa Elias, Stephen Fafulas, Aarnes Gudmestad, Maria Hasler Barker, Bret Linford, Avizia Long, and Lauren Schmidt. I will always be grateful to IU for providing a strong and caring foundation, and I encourage those who feel similarly to donate to the fellowship in Kim Geeslin’s honor.