Email:
Phone:
503.943.8765
Address:
Buckley Center 435
I grew up in Fullerton, California and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating from UCSB, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. My experiences as a volunteer and wanderings throughout Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean deepened my love for all things Latin American. The region’s diversity, history, and cultural richness became a constant source of fascination. It was this deep appreciation for Latin America that eventually led me to earn my Ph.D. in history at the University of New Mexico. I came to the University of Portland in 2012 and am currently associate professor of history and environmental studies.
My teaching and research interests include transnational history, borderlands, U.S.-Latin American relations, and popular culture. My current book project focuses on the interplay of popular culture and official diplomacy in the creation of U.S.-Cuban relations. Within this relationship, I am especially interested in issues of cultural construction and contestation. I have received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, the Society for American Foreign Relations, and the University of Portland. At UP, I teach courses on the histories of colonial and modern Latin America, Cuba, Mexico, environmental history, the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, and Latin American popular culture.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
