I am a PhD Candidate in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I have carried out research for my dissertation project at the University of Castilla La-Mancha, the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Valladolid, and the university of Salamanca (Spain). I received a Master of Arts degree in Hispanic Linguistics in 2017 from the University of Minnesota and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Granada with a degree in Translation and Interpretation in 2014. As part of my undegraduate degree, I was an exchange student at the University of Sheffield (UK), Peking University (北京大学, China) and Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外国语大学，China).I work in the field of applied linguistics, and more specifically, second language acquisition and sociolinguistics. My dissertation work focuses on the interplay of linguistic and social factors that influence the acquisition of phonological contrasts in L2 Spanish. I have taught Spanish at the University of Minnesota from beginning level courses to advanced courses, including introductory Hispanic Linguistics courses. I have also taught Spanish to high-school students with Middlebury Language Academy in Granada, Spain.Since I received my certification from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in 2014, I have worked as a sworn translator (Spanish-English) for different US and Spain-based companies and individuals.