Dr. Veronica Morales
Assistant Professor

• Ph.D. Spanish Literature, Texas Tech University
• M.A. Spanish, University of Texas at El Paso
• B.A. Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Texas at El Paso

Email: veronica.morales@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-3600

Dr. Morales is specialized in Latin American literature. She has carried out several studies in the areas of: Creative Literature, Applied Linguistics, Philosophy and History and Anthropology of Religions. Her research areas are linked to Afro-Cuban Cultural Studies associated with the diaspora, the orishas, ritual theater and mythological tales as well as fantastic literature, crime novels, and the pre-Hispanic mythology of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Her topics of interest are related to myth, ritual, eroticism, as well as cultural anthropology.

Dr. Morales’s teaching experience started in 2017 as Spanish Instructor in Texas Tech University and Howard College. She taught beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in Spanish Language and Literature.

Dr. Maria Aparicio-Torres
Assistant Professor

• Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature - Florida International University 
• Graduate Certificate in European & Eurasian Studies - Florida International University 
• M.A. in Spanish Language and Literature - Florida International University 
• M.A. in North American Studies – Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (Spain) 
• M.A. in Education – Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) 
• B.S. in Business Administration and Management – Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Spain) 
• B.A. in English Philology – Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Spain) 

Email: maria.torres@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-3600

Doctor María Aparicio Torres holds a Doctoral Degree in Spanish Language and Literature, and three Master Degrees in Education, Spanish Language and Literature and North American Studies respectively. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in European & Eurasian Studies from Florida International University. Prior to that, she earned Bachelors degrees in Business and in English Philology. 

Dr. Torres has been teaching at University level since 2006, at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid for 6 years and at Florida International University for 7 years. Additionally, she has presented her research at more than 15 international conferences in various continents. She has earned various international awards such as the Kenneth Galbraith Economy in the United States from Benjamin Franklin Institute at Universidad de Alcalá and the Dissertation Year Fellowship at Florida International University.  

She has extensive experience teaching at university for over 16 years and trained professionals in the private sector and government institutions for more than 12 years, where she managed a multidisciplinary team of teachers and professors. 

She has published a book in which she studies a selection of little known Spanish and Cuban texts published during the Cuban War of Independence at the end of the 19th century. In this book, she provides a transatlantic approach of literary texts in various genres and subgenres, and political messages exchanged between Cuba, Spain and the United States, which have been neglected by scholars in the field. 

Her dissertation and research interests focus in the field of late 19^th century literary and socio-political Caribbean Spanish regions and Spanish for the professions. She is a member of various professional institutions and she is a Certified International Examiner of Instituto Cervantes. 

In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities as well as reading, attending performing arts events, especially music concerts and opera, and loves doing cultural tourism.

Nury Jones
Adjunct Professor

• M.A. Spanish as a Foreign Language, University of Barcelona, Spain
• B.A. Spanish Linguistics, Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán, Honduras
• Professor of Elementary Education, ENEVA Institute, Honduras

Email: nury.jones@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-3600

Nury was born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. After finishing her high school education, she decided to become a teacher because her mother taught her that teaching is a noble profession with many responsibilities. Nury studied at ENEVA institute in the city El Paraiso, Honduras and received a degree in Professor of Elementary Education; but her desire and passion to teach continued, so she matriculated in the Pedagogical University “Francisco Morazán” in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. With much satisfaction and effort, she obtained her Bachelor Degree in Spanish Linguistics. It was a big moment for her family and for her, as well. Nury has been working in the field of education for many years and has incredibly good experiences. After a few years, she got married and moved to the United States; this decision gave her the big opportunity to be able to teach Spanish as a foreign language to the soldiers in the SOF Community since 2012 as a Spanish Instructor at the Special Warfare Center (USAJFKWCS) at Fort Bragg, NC ever since.

Nury has always wanted to do her best in teaching Spanish, which was one of her reasons for enrolling at the University of Barcelona Spain in order to get her master’s degree in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, and leading her to the extraordinary opportunity to be a part of the DCLCP team as Spanish Instructor at Fort Bragg, NC.

Dunia Joxana Slone
Adjunct Professor

• Master´s degree in bilingual education at the International University of La Rioja, Spain
• Certification in Higher Education, Pedagogical University, Francisco Morazán - Honduras
• Bilingual Education, International University of La Rioja, Spain

Email: dunia.slone@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-3600

Dunia was born in Guaimaca, Francisco Morazán, Honduras. When she was in 3^rd grade, she knew that she wanted to become a teacher and help others learn. Her love for teaching became a real dream when she studied foreign languages at National University Autonomous of Honduras (UNAH), where she discovered her passion for languages. She is a Spanish native speaker, but when she attended college, she was able to develop her linguistic skills in other languages such as English, French, and Portuguese. She wanted to enrich her teaching skills to support others in learning new languages, especially adults.

When Dunia discovered her own abilities to learn languages, she felt inspired by herself to teach adults to learn languages in the same way she did. As a result, she decided to study a Certification in Higher Education at Pedagogical University Francisco Morazán, Honduras. Furthermore, her vision for preparing herself for XXI Century Academic system encouraged her to study a postgrad in bilingual education at the International University of La Rioja, Spain. For more than a decade, Dunia’s teaching experience has been focused on language and culture, as well as what helps students learn beyond the classroom.

Dunia’s favorite hobby is traveling around the world and being exposed to new cultural experiences.  Besides that, in her free time she travels round the United States where she plans to visit the fifty states.

Ana Santeliz
Adjunct Professor

• Currently enrolled - Ed.D. in Education, University of Phoenix
• M.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, University of Oklahoma, 2021
• B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, University of Oklahoma, 2018
• Data Entry Specialist, Bellingham Technical College, 2012

Email: ana.santeliz@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-2600

Ana was born and raised in El Salvador. She served as a translator, tutor, Spanish teacher, and Computer Science teacher in the private education sector. Also, Ana has extensive teaching assistance experience as a Foreign Language Instructor at the University of Oklahoma. She works as a Spanish Tutor at Des Moines Area Community College.

Ana has a lifelong love of teaching, and a passion for the Spanish Arts and Language led to formalizing her education with an M.A. in Spanish from OU. She always appreciates the opportunity to share her Salvadoran culture and fervor for the Spanish language.

Ana's research and teaching interests are Spanish Bilingualism, Translation, Syntax, Morphology, and Sociolinguistics. She is deeply interested in Spanish Language Contact and Acquisition, Spanish Language Variation and Change: Exploring native/non-native performance differences, US Latino and Border Studies, and the General and Comparative Literature.

Ana expends her free time exploring different cultures and languages around the world. Also, she works on her YouTube Channel, LibriVox, and Google Translate Community. Hence, she loves to explore mountains, horizons, rivers, hiking, and camping with friends and family.

Lidia Garcia
Adjunct Professor

• Bachelor’s degree in Education and Science, with specialization in secondary and post-secondary education. The University of Panama
• Master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics. The University of Panama

Email: lidia.garcia@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 243-2600

I was born and raised in Panama where I started my professional career. My passion has always been teaching and providing my assistance in the best interest of others for their personal growth, and development. I have a solid educational foundation and I’m extremely enthusiastic about focusing on cultural immersion.

After obtaining my degree in education I became a secondary teacher where I taught different subjects, including Spanish. My education and teaching experience has also allowed me to advance my career and become a certified Spanish Language Instructor with a history of performance excellence in the Special Operation Forces area, First Special Forces Command in Fort Bragg, NC, for several years.

I have extensive training and experience as a Foreign Language Instructor and Academic teacher. My methodology includes a comprehensive curriculum to promote interest by designing creative lesson plans, utilizing diverse technology, and tutoring and mentoring individuals for overall success. In addition, I have had the privilege to work for Yorktown System Group, Global Technology Solutions, Diplomatic Language Solutions, and Comprehensive Language Center among other companies where I served as a team member of the test development team, designing and implementing a new Spanish module test for students. I also participated in Piloting the first Team Teaching of Spanish Classes and was recognized by the commanding for having the first class with a 100% passing rate in SWEG (A) history.

During my free time, I enjoy the outdoors, exercising, spending time with my family, and reading literature from my favorite authors, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, who was a great writer, and Paulo Coelho. I’m beyond excited to represent the University of Montana and provide my experience and support.

César Del Castillo Vega
Adjunct Instructor

• M.A. Public Policies and Government, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. 2021
• Diploma: Teaching Spanish as a Second Language, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. 2017
• B.A. Education, San Martin National University – Peru. 2010

Email: cesar.delcastillo@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406)243-3600

Mr. Del Castillo is specialized in teaching English and Spanish as a Foreign Language. His teaching experience started in 2012 and has worked teaching English at different Universities and Language Institutes in Peru. He has also taught at military institutions such as Escuela Militar de Chorrillos (EMCH) and Escuela Naval del Peru (ESNA) for 3 years.

His main interests include language assessment, the higher education reform in Peru and Public Policies applied in the higher education sector. In 2017, he was selected to participate in the program Champion Teachers organized by the British Council and represented Peru in the presentation of the project in Chile. He has also been a speaker in the Latin American Congress of Language Teaching organized by Universidad Del Pacífico in three different editions. Mr. Del Castillo has also worked as an Oral Examiner for Cambridge University English Exams since 2018 to 2022.

Mr. Del Castillo enjoys spending time with his family, visiting museums, going to recitals and participate in Volunteering programs. 

Alessandra Camille Ribota
Academic Specialist, Spanish Language

• Currently Enrolled: Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies, Applied Linguistics, Texas A&M University
• M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Texas A&M University
• B.A. in Spanish and International Studies, Texas A&M University
• [Education Abroad] Universidad de Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina (July-September, 2010)
• [Education Abroad] Universidad del Pacífico, Lima, Perú (September-November, 2010)

Email: alessandra.ribota@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406)243-3600

Alessandra C. Ribota is an Instructor and Spanish Academic Language and Culture Specialist at the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center, Defense Critical Language & Culture (DCLCP) program for the USA John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS), Basic Special Operations Language Treating, (BSOLT), Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) Program. She holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and is a doctoral candidate for the department of Global Languages and Cultures, in the college of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University.

Alessandra’s research foci are multiliteracies- and performance-based second language (L2) pedagogies, the development and implementation of open educational resources (OER) in L2 instruction, Spanish for the professions, and teacher education. Her dissertation focuses on the effects that multiliteracies-based pedagogies can have on L2 Spanish development when they guide the creation of open instructional materials and classroom instruction. Alessandra is the co-author of two volumes of the OER textbook Trayectos, and collaborative articles published in peer-reviewed journals and an edited volume. She has also presented her work in a variety of national and international conferences.

Alessandra has served as the Language Program Assistant to the Director of Lower Division Spanish Instruction at Texas A&M University where she guided and supported the implementation of ACTFL standards and multiliteracies-based instruction in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures Spanish Language. She has performed duties at the Center for Teaching Excellence, Texas A&M University, as a virtual teacher assistant trainer, and a graduate teaching consultant. Her collaborative work has been extended to the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, at Texas A&M University, where she was the course coordinator and instructor for Spanish for Veterinarians as part of her Spanish for the Professions foci. Prior to her current role at University of Montana, she served as a Tenure-Track Spanish Professor at Lane College, a Historically Black College in the state of Tennessee.