Alumni Spotlight
March 10, 2017
Alumni Fernando Melero Garcia graces our Alumni Spotlight this week. Fernando graduated from the S&P Department in May 2013 with an MA in Hispanic Linguistics. Mr. 
Melero is now pursuing his PhD in Hispanic Linguistics at Indiana University, Bloomington (IUB). Read more about this influential Alumni below.
Tell us a bit about yourself and where you’re at now:
"I graduated from UNM with an MA in Hispanic Linguistics in May 2013. During my time at UNM, I had the privilege to work with outstanding professors who inspired me to continue my career in academia. After graduation, I moved to Indiana where I am currently pursuing a PhD in Hispanic Linguistics at Indiana University, Bloomington (IUB). My research interests include Sociolinguistics and Phonetics and Phonology. Since I left UNM, I have been working on different projects that include the study of linguistic attitudes among heritage speakers of Spanish in New Mexico; methodological aspects that can be considered in order to account for the gradual nature of linguistic variation; and the effect of certain acoustic cues on the perception of foreign accent in Spanish."
Professional Highlights you would like to share:
"One of the studies that one of my colleagues and I started during my time as an MA student at UNM was recently published in a special issue of E-JournALL: EuroAmerican Journal of Applied Linguistics and languages. In addition, I have presented some of my current research projects in several national and international conferences, such as the 2016 Hispanic Linguistic Symposium that took place at Georgetown University, or the 8th International Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics hosted by the University of Puerto Rico.
In addition to doing research, I am very passionate about teaching Spanish. During the academic year, I am an Associate Instructor of Spanish in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at IUB, and during the summer, I am an instructor in the IUHPFL program (Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages). As an IUHPFL instructor, I teach during a study-abroad program in which high school students from Indiana have the opportunity to be immersed in the language and culture of a foreign country. Last summer, I participated in the program in Viña del Mar (Chile), and the experience was so wonderful that I am coming back next summer!"
Memories from S&P Department:
"I have very fond memories of my friends, colleagues and professors in New Mexico. They all helped me grow and achieve all my goals. During my time at UNM, I presented for the first time in academic conferences and got my first research paper published, thanks to the unconditional support that I received from the people in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. It is certainly a wonderful place to live and study."
