Institute Community
Alisia N. Muir is a native of Maryland, but has lived in El Paso for the past 7 years. She currently teaches English at Northwest Early College in Canutillo, Texas and runs the school’s edible learning garden. In 2018, Alisia became a National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts and completed a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration. Alisia is a Jamaican-American and hopes to apply what she learns of the Chihuahuan Desert histories and narratives to expand her skill of teaching students to examine literature critically using a cultural and social lense. When she isn’t at school, she enjoys being a beach bum and traveling to see her family, who are spread out all over the globe. Alisia can be reached at
Amy Bean teaches seventh grade language arts in Chicago Public Schools. She began her teaching career as a City Year corps member in New Orleans, Louisiana, and returned home to Boston, Massachusetts, to complete a teaching degree and student teaching. Amy then moved to New Mexico to teach bilingual middle school mathematics in English and Spanish. Outside of school, she enjoys running, swimming, reading, and cooking as well as cheering on the Boston Red Sox. Amy looks forward to returning to school next year with a more informed perspectives from the Summer Institute on borderlands narratives, identities, and Mexican and American binationalism, which she will incorporate into student learning.
Andrew “Andy” Gorvetzian is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a Spanish teacher at the United World College in Montezuma, New Mexico, where he also leads an experiential education course that teaches advocacy and awareness skills. He hopes to apply knowledge from the Summer Institute to his student trips to El Paso on the study of immigration and identities. Moreover, Andy’s participation will complement the coauthoring of a book in development on these themes and titled Surviving the Américas: Resilience and Garifuna Culture from Nicaragua to New York. Andy enjoys hiking, running, and any food with green chile on it. He can be reached at
Anna White teaches Spanish III and Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Culture at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, traveling, and cooking. During the school year, Anna leads a group of teachers in cross-curricular professional development as well as sponsors her school’s chapters of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and National Honor Society. Anna can be reached at
Bonnie Stevens lives in Kansas City. She teaches eighth grade Spanish I as well as a seventh grade class called Exploring Languages and Cultures in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She enjoys hanging out with family and friends, being outside, traveling, gardening, playing with her dog Luna, and cooking. She is a board member for a nonprofit that helps empower youth in Peru called Corazón de Esperanza. Bonnie looks forward to incorporating stories, music, and literature by border peoples into her classes through this course. She is excited to have discussions with and learn from the many people she will encounter through the Summer Institute and in the El Paso area. She can be reached at
Carlynn Houghton is from Brooklyn, New York. She teaches Upper School English at the Chapin School in New York City. In her free time, she loves to read, work in the garden, and cook. Carlynn hopes to apply her knowledge of Chihuahuan Desert narratives to an upper-level course on the literature of migration and binationalism. She can be reached at
Daniel R. Jaramillo is a native of El Paso, Texas. After moving to Austin in 2012 to study history, he got a teaching position at Del Valle High School. He currently teaches U.S. government to seniors, and has previously taught World History and Economics. Daniel is the Assistant Tennis Coach at Del Valle High School. He enjoys reading non-fiction, hanging with friends, creating, producing, and playing music. Daniel plans to learn about binationalism and identities in the Summer Institute and to gain more understanding about the issues and obstacles communities face. He seeks a greater understanding about who his students are and their identities. Daniel can be reached at
Elizabeth “Liz” LaClair grew up in Michigan and has taught both middle and high school social studies. Currently, she works as a World Geography and AVID teacher at Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas. In her spare time, Liz enjoys yoga, cooking, and traveling and every chance she gets. She is excited to spend time learning about binationalism and identity in the Summer Institute and in her adopted state. Liz plans to use her experience in the Chihuahuan Desert to develop engaging cross-curricular lessons that bring more current affairs and issues into the classroom. She can be reached at
Emmett O'Keefe is from Chicago, Illinois, and teaches at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Illinois. He teaches high school social studies and English language learners. Currently, he is developing a Latin American Studies course for the school district. Emmett loves watching television and movies as well as following politics. He is a part of the educational equity cohort at East Leyden High School. Emmett plans to use what he learns from the Summer Institute to complement his teaching of American history as well as Latin American Studies. He can be reached at
Francisco Becerra-Hernandez lives in San Mateo, California. He is a teacher of Spanish high school level. Francisco has been teaching for eight years in the United States. He has taught in Spain and México. His favorite authors are Ernest Hemingway and Mario Vargas Llosa. Francisco’s favorite hobbies are playing sports and reading. Also, he enjoys playing tennis and soccer, attends cultural activities such as theater and concerts, and visits museums. Francisco is excited to be part of the Summer Institute and looks forward to meeting fellow educators from across the United States.
Holly Hardin is from the rural foothills of North Carolina, but has spent her adult life teaching and organizing in Durham. However, she spent this current year outside of North Carolina, teaching sixth grade at Southwest Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona, at a prekindergarten–8 public school that incorporates project-based learning and youth-led participatory action research. Holly looks forward to applying identity-based themes as well as the history of the borderlands region into the student projects: from investigating the impacts of climate change on their communities to studying their own connections to food. In addition to teaching, she is a community organizer (most recently focusing on issues of education and immigrant justice, as well as ongoing work with Southerners On New Ground). Holly spends her free time with babies and baking and also outside. She can be reached at
Hugo Leonel Jacobo grew up in Santa Ana, California. He currently teaches eleventh grade American Studies in a small, project-based learning school located in downtown Los Angeles. He enjoys reading, exercising, and hiking. From a professional level, he plans to apply his knowledge of the Chihuahuan Desert histories and narratives to current curriculum projects on topics such as Westward Expansion, immigration, biculturalism, and Americanization. From a personal level, he would like use this course of study as an opportunity to reflect on his own perspectives and cultural identities as a Mexican/Guatemalan/American.
James Huerta lives in Claremont, California. He works at the Webb Schools where he teaches in the Humanities Department. James loves sports and coaches girls’ soccer and baseball. He has taught in China, Ecuador, and México. James will be using the Summer Institute in preparation for a class on the politics and culture of the border. He can be reached at
Kate Newman is from Seattle, Washington, and is in her seventh year of teaching high school English, currently in a suburb to the north of the city. She has recently taken a year-long leave of absence from teaching to complete a master’s degree in Culture and Colonialism at the National University of Ireland Galway. Her thesis focuses on liminality in cultural productions of Black Americans. Like most native Seattleites, Kate loves the outdoors, and is also an avid soccer player, runner, reader, and concert-goer. Hailing from so near the northern border of the United States, Kate is excited to gain a deeper understanding of the rich culture of our Southwest borderlands, and hopes to share her new knowledge with students in the brand new iteration of IB Language and Literature, which will be introduced during the 2019–2020 school year. Kate can be reached at
Kimberly G. Kim teaches English and coaches debate at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, California. Her favorite past time is to take walks with her Corgi named Morty along the beach. For the past few years, Kimberly has been developing new, twelfth-grade electives that highlight diverse voices in literature. She will be using her experience in the Summer Institute to develop a major unit for the Latin American Short Story course. Moreover, Kimberly looks forward to developing a new semester elective course on stories, poetry, and essays at three key international borderlands spaces: the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea, Israel/Palestine, and USA/México.
Kindra Young de Gómez is a native Californian and has been steeped in the duality of borderlands cultures. She has a deep understanding of the challenges that can come with having one foot in two countries of origin. Currently, Kindra teaches heritage Spanish and Advanced Placement Spanish in Portland, Oregon. She has a passion for and maintains regular upkeep of her very obstinate horse named Guapo, and enjoys traveling whenever she can. Kindra looks forward to incorporating themes from the Summer Institute into her heritage Spanish curriculum, which focuses on the experiences of Latinas and Latinos in the United States. She can be reached at
Mary Aebischer is a native of Mexico City and teaches Spanish, Spanish language arts, and French in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Her dissertation, which is titled An Organic Inquiry into the Sacred Stories of the Virgin of Guadalupe: Narratives of Transformation in the Latina/Chicana Borderland Consciousness, explores the lives of twelve women from New Mexico. Mary enjoys traveling, learning cultural mythologies, and teaching culinary arts. She plans to apply her knowledge of the Chihuahuan Desert histories and narratives by producing short plays based on students’ testimonios and presenting them students and communities in various school districts. She can be reached at
Mary DeWine lives in Tacoma, Washington, and teaches English and world cultures at the Science and Math Institute, a unique Tacoma public high school in the middle of a forest, zoo, and on the Puget Sound. She spends life with family, dog and nature. Mary helped begin a college program in the local women’s prison, where she taught and serves on the Board of Directors. She will create curriculum in the Summer Institute and plans to map out a service and study tour for a group of students to El Paso in 2021 for her school’s JTerm. She can be reached at
Miguel Andres Martinez is originally from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and immigrated with his parents to the border city of El Paso, Texas, at the age of seven. His link between the two sister cities and his ten-year service in the U.S. Air Force have given him a well-rounded experience and have shaped his perspectives as an educator and community member. Currently, he teaches dual credit World History, Pre-Advanced Placement World History, and Economics at Northwest Early College High School. He is also an adjunct instructor at El Paso Community College where he also teaches a seminar course in U.S. History. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Texas at El Paso and his master’s degree in history from Sam Houston State University. Miguel likes to hike, and he enjoys literary genres of all sorts. Through his experience in the 2019 Summer Institute, he plans to highlight the history of the borderlands and to better represent the accomplishments of the people, so that students understand how important fronterizo contributions are to the overall narrative of the United States and North America. He can be reached at
Paulena “Lena” Papagiannis is an educator in the Boston Public Schools in Boston, Massachusetts. Currently, she teaches history to curious and comedic students at the O’Bryant School. Lena aims to teach a relevant and rigorous course that helps empower her students to create the world they want to live in. Beyond the classroom, she is one of the leaders of Unafraid Educators, a committee of the Boston Teachers Union that works to build supportive schools for undocumented students and mixed-status families. Lena looks forward to incorporating her learning from the Summer Institute into her curriculum and her activism. She can reached at
Rebecca “Becky” Luz Villagrán is from Oakland, California. She teaches twentieth-century IB History and Chicanx/Latinx history at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. She was an amateur boxer for many years, but has retired from competition; however, she still loves training and sparring to help out her teammates before their fights. Becky has been teaching history for seven years now, and she loves changing the curriculum to expand her own knowledge of history. Becky revived a Chicano history course to Berkeley High after a twenty-year gap. She is excited to be part of the Summer Institute to expand her knowledge of the history of the Southwest borderlands and to guide her students to understand the complex histories of identity and colonization that have created the crises of the current day.
Ricardo A. Valenzuela lives and works in Roswell, New Mexico. He teaches Spanish I and Spanish III (honors) at Goddard High School. His hobbies include fishing, reading, bicycling, hiking, swimming, and also playing the flute. He serves as the representative for Goddard HS with the New Mexico Teachers’ Liaison Network. Ricardo is a US Army veteran with ten years of service, active and reserve. He also holds the position as the Director of the Roswell Flute Ensemble. Ricardo will incorporate the knowledge gained from the Summer Institute in his teaching about the cultural, linguistic, and literary richness of borderlands communities. He can be reached at
Rosanne Orta is a teacher of Honors English at Alhambra High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Alhambra High School has a beautifully diverse student body, and a large number of students who are refugees, children of immigrants, or immigrants themselves. She will use the experience and knowledge from Summer Institute in her classroom with a unit about personal storytelling and identity. Rosanne loves teaching and spends her time studying trends in English education, engaging in new learning, and conducting action research in her classroom. She was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. Rosanne moved to the Phoenix area when she was in college and decided to make it her home. Her non-academic pursuits involve watching popular television shows and spending time with family. Rosanne can be reached at
Tara Partow moved from her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to California to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Scripps College. After graduating in 2017, she began teaching middle school English in Gallup, New Mexico. While she is open to outdoor recreational activities, Tara prefers listening to podcasts and drinking strawberry limeades. Next year, Tara will be teaching English III to eleventh graders at Miyamura High School. In order to build a sense of coalitional politics among her students, she plans use the Summer Institute experience on borderlands narratives to reveal connections among American Indians, Palestinians, and Latinx people in Gallup, New Mexico.
Trevor Munhall teaches eighth grade English language arts in Lawrence, Massachusetts, at UP Academy Leonard. His class focuses on Latinx, Black, and indigenous diasporas and narratives. He enjoys bringing rigorous and thought-provoking texts to life, especially for English language learners. Trevor studied at the University of New Hampshire and Harvard Graduate School of Education, and he received the Sontag Prize in Urban Education. Trevor loves traveling. His most memorable trips include backpacking in Colombia and completing a solo, 44-day, coast-to-coast road trip. He enjoys photography, gardening, porches, and his sassy cat. Trevor’s email is