Ph.D., Rhetoric and Writing, Michigan State University

• B WRIT 134 Composition
• B WRIT 135 Research Writing
• BIS 238 Language, Culture, Identity, and Power

In my classes, we complicate “effective communication” in literacy by discussing curious language ideologies. We ponder on questions like: Why do people attach certain attitudes and values to different languages? What counts as academic writing and academic knowledge? How is language intricately linked to our identities? I like to pose these critical questions through various activities not only to demystify academic writing and knowledge but also to meet our very linguistic realities that are only becoming more global, multicultural, and multilingual. Students’ personal prior experiences, knowledge, and expertise are key assets in all of my classes. For instance, autobiographical writing and reading about critical literacies are often at the center of our inquiry to engage in self-reflection and fluid meaning-making from our own cultures and lived experiences.

My works look at how multilingual people navigate social situations and structures where monolingualism and white language habitus are dominant norms. Specifically, I approach my translingual writing research through the lens of sociocultural theory, aiming to look beyond text analysis and understand the broader trajectory of one’s transnational and multilingual experiences and contexts. This involves examining the contexts in which meanings are constantly negotiated within power structures. I use stories as the key method and methodology to highlight the experiences, knowledge, and perspectives of multilingual communities that are underrepresented in traditional academic discourse.