Jennifer is completing her Master’s in May, which is the first portion of the Hispanic Linguistics PhD program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Her research interests deal with heritage language acquisition, bilingual education and sociolinguistic examinations of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Prior to attending UT, Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s degree at Miami University of Ohio, where she studied Spanish Education and Latin American Studies. After completing her undergraduate work, Jennifer spent eight months volunteering at a micro-finance institution in Ayacucho, Peru, and a year working as a high school Spanish teacher. Outside of class, Jennifer works as a teacher’s assistant (TA) in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and serves on the Graduate Student Organization as the TA representative as well as the social chair. Jennifer is enthusiastic to participate in the Archer Center Fellowship this summer and is eager for the begin interning at the Center for American Progress.