PhD Candidate in Hispanic Literature
Department of
Spanish and Portuguese
Biography
Alonso Arana was born in Alamosa, Colorado and lived there until he was four years old. He spoke Spanish as his first language, and only learned how to speak English when he entered the third grade. He then lived in his mother’s hometown, Meoqui, in Chihuahua, Mexico until he was eight. He then migrated to Santa Fe and has resided in New Mexico since, where he graduated from Capital High School in 2014. He attended and graduated from UNM in 2018 with a double bachelor's degree in Spanish and Public Health Education. He graduated with a Masters Degree in Hispanic Southwest Studies in May 2022, in large part due to one of his undergraduate instructors encouraging him to pursue this field and finding interest in literature and poetry. Alonso is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature, with a focus on the Southwest. He has taught levels I, II, and III in the Sabine Ulibarrí Spanish as a Heritage Language program, and hopes to eventually teach level IV and 300 level courses. His interests include social justice, community well-being, and public health, and he enjoys a good crime novel. 