The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is ecstatic in welcoming their 2026-2027 Fulbright Scholar! Here is Navia Aarón in their words:
"I am currently pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies: Memory, Identity, Territory, and Language (Estudos Culturais: Memoria, identidade, territorio e linguaxe) at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC - Spain), under the supervision of Dr. Ana Cabana. I hold an MA in Cultural Services (Servizos Culturais - USC) and these days I'm finishing an MA in Cultural Studies for the Visual Arts - MUECA (Universidad Miguel Hernández - Spain). I earned my BA in Performing Arts (Artes Escénicas) from Universidad Casa Grande (Guayaquil, Ecuador). My research is strongly shaped by my background as an artist (primarily as an actor and theatre director) and focuses on how cultural and artistic productions participate in the construction of identity, particularly within the context of Galician language and culture, from which I originally come. I hope my experience at Dartmouth will allow me to deepen my engagement with the tradition of Cultural Studies, still relatively new in my home academic context. I am also eager to broaden my international and interdisciplinary perspective, and to learn from and exchange ideas with colleagues and students from diverse backgrounds. I would also really enjoy thinking and talking while hiking. I was especially drawn to Dartmouth by the breadth and openness of the department, as well as by its strong liberal arts tradition. The opportunity to work in such an intellectually vibrant and interdisciplinary environment was a key motivation for my application. I won’t deny that the natural surrroundings were also a factor. Whatever I do, I still think of myself primarily as an actor who happens to do other things. The United States will be the fourth country I have lived in, so my accent (in Spanish) tends to be quite… adaptable. Sometimes words just don't word, but body does. I love cooking, and I’m a strong ‘concebollista’ (Spanish omelette definitely has to have onions)!"