Dr. Carolina E. Alonso was born and raised in the Mexico-United States Border (Reynosa - Rio Grande Valley). As a first-generation college student, she obtained a B.A. and M.A. from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in Spanish and Latin American Literature, where she taught Spanish classes. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in Hispanic Studies with subspecialties in US Latinx and Latin American Literatures, Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. At the University of Houston, she worked as a Research Fellow in the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project where she worked with Latina/o archives. She was also appointed Teaching Fellow in the Hispanic Studies Department and in the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, where she taught and designed courses from beginning to advanced level. Dr. Alonso joined Fort Lewis College in 2016 where she works as an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department teaching in the new major Borders and Languages. She is also an affiliated professor in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. She is the founder of Bibliotierra: Travelling Library, and she is part of the team working on the digital humanities project United Fronteras.
As the new Faculty in Residence, Dr. Alonso seeks to promote the College’s academic mission, to cultivate a safe living environment, to encourage positive relationships with the Durango community, and to foster the students’ personal growth through creative and outdoor activities. Carolina’s planning for her tenure as the Faculty in Residence stems from her belief that a sense of belonging plays an essential role in having a successful and meaningful academic career. In addition to teaching and literature, Carolina is passionate about fútbol (soccer), in all its contexts.