Before I took Nadine’s workshop, I was bogged down by the feeling that I was stretched out to think in way too many directions. This had to do with my decision to accept the position of Chair of my department, but also with being committed to too many, unrelated research projects. After I took it, I started seeing that I had kept research going in spite of the burden of being Chair, contrary to what I thought and all my research projects were indeed related and social-justice driven. When I resumed research and revisited the notes from Nadine’s workshop. I am still under the spell of the thrill of coming up with a lens and an approach that are uniquely mine. This has restored my joy and passion in my research.

~ Mariela Méndez, Associate Professor, Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies, University of Richmond