My name is Selena, and I am a current senior at Pomona College studying international relations, with a bit of Spanish and anthropology. This past summer, I began a Remote Academic Independent Summer Experience research project, or RAISE, with funding from Pomona College, which focuses on bilingual, intercultural education in Ecuador and how effective it is as a language revitalization method.

I was inspired to begin this podcast as part of my senior thesis after taking four courses that shaped my outlook on my major and its potential. Journalism in Latin America, Linguistic Anthropology, Indigenous Movements of Ecuador, and Interculturality and Bilingualism in the Andes all inspired me to create a podcast that brought together the central themes of these courses.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and where I conducted the bulk of my research this summer, I am thankful for the opportunity to have taken such diverse and inspiring courses that made me forget about the harsh realities of the pandemic during a virtual year of school.

Sebastián Granda, professor of Indigenous Movements in Ecuador

Cecile Evers, RAISE project advisor and professor of Linguistic Anthropology

Juanita Aristizabal, professor of Journalism in Latin America

Claudia Arteaga, professor of Bilingualism and Interculturality in the Andes

Charles Hammond, a mentor who came up with a 3-layer meaning for the name of this podcast