• Hometown: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
• Faculty mentor/advisor: Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Associate Professor, Spanish and Portuguese
• What is your degree program and expected graduate date? Ph.D. student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese with an expected graduation of May 2023.
• Please describe your research: I mainly research 19th century cultural productions such as novels, essays, drawings, etc., relating to the Philippines during the Spanish colonization. Through this research, I hope to conduct more discussions regarding the Philippines’s unique position in the Hispanic world and share these cultural productions with students through my teaching.
• In simple terms, why does this research matter? My research is part of the Global Hispanophone studies, a framework that seeks to broaden the geographical scope of Hispanic studies beyond the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America and include cultural and historical experiences encountered in North Africa, the Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines, etc. I believe research regarding these territories is necessary to better understand how different cultures around the world interacted with Spanish-speaking cultures.
• How soon after starting at the University of Iowa were you able to participate in research? I was able to start my research during the first year of the Ph.D. program.
• How has being involved in research made you more successful at the University of Iowa? Becoming involved in research has given me a sense of direction and pushed me to become a better scholar and educator. Through research, I have had opportunities to improve my critical thinking, the way I see the world, and my teaching methods.
• What are your career goals and/or plans after graduation? After graduation, I hope to continue my work as a scholar and continue my research while teaching in areas related to Hispanic literatures and cultures, especially introducing cultural productions from the Spanish Philippines to students.

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