LU Spanish program takes broad cultural approach
This school year, Alyssa Voigt, a sophomore from New Holstein, Wis., majoring in marketing, is creating content for the Lakeland blog. She was named Lakeland’s Outstanding Student in Marketing this year. This is the latest in a series of blog stories she has written.
Lakeland University’s Spanish program focuses on helping students develop strong communication skills in Spanish while also gaining cultural literacy and global awareness.
Èdgar Ulloa, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish and interdisciplinary studies and the primary faculty member for Lakeland’s Spanish program, effectively equips students with these skills.
Ulloa teaches courses at various levels of the Spanish curriculum, advises students, contributes to curriculum development and program planning and strengthens the visibility of Spanish within Lakeland’s interdisciplinary and experiential learning initiatives.
Born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, directly across from El Paso, Texas, Ulloa was strongly shaped by his geographical location, which has become principal to his research and teaching style.
“Growing up in a border environment strongly shaped how I think about language, culture, migration and identity, and that experience continues to influence both my research and my teaching,” he said.
Through an impressive educational background, Ulloa earned his Ph.D. and an M.S. in Spanish literature and cultural studies from Georgetown University in December 2023. He also holds an MFA in creative writing in Spanish from New York University and a B.A. in Spanish with a minor in secondary education from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Ulloa came to Lakeland with several years of teaching beginner to advanced Spanish students, as well as courses focused on conversation, literature, film and cultural studies at the university level.
His teaching experience includes work at several institutions, including Georgetown University, New York University, Georgia College & State University, Georgia Military College and the College of Idaho.
He chose Lakeland for its student-centered environment and close academic community. “I was particularly interested in the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the development of the Spanish program while working closely with students,” he said.
Since Lakeland’s Spanish program currently has one full-time faculty member, Ulloa “values the opportunity to help strengthen the curriculum, mentor students closely and help shape new academic opportunities for the program’s future growth.”
Ulloa currently teaches across the program, including Elementary Spanish II, Digital Humanities & Intercultural Communication in Spanish, Cinema in the Spanish-Speaking World and Special Topics courses such as Court & Federal Interpreting: Skills, Ethics, and Practice.
Ulloa describes his typical class sessions as highly interactive. “Students practice Spanish through conversation, collaborative activities, writing exercises and engagement with authentic materials such as films, media and cultural texts,” he said. “My goal is to create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable using Spanish actively while developing both linguistic and cultural competence.”
Five adjectives Ulloa uses to describe his teaching style are interactive, supportive, engaging, creative and culturally focused.
His students attest to this. “Dr. Ulloa creates a welcoming classroom environment where students feel comfortable participating and learning from one another,” said Jessica Flores Perez, a business administration major.
“His Spanish Federal and State Interpreting course is highly interactive, and the material is both engaging and relevant to real-world interpreting situations. His teaching style encourages active participation and makes the learning process both interesting and meaningful.”
I had a chance to experience these features of Ulloa’s teaching when I sat in his Court & Federal Interpreting: Skills, Ethics, and Practice course. Students in this class are studying for the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination, which makes this a bilingual, concentrated course that creates an apparent code-switching environment.
One way Ulloa created a welcoming and attractive environment for his students was by playing traditional Latin music in the background during homework review. With three students in this course, this class was heavily driven by in-depth conversations that permitted approachable, receptive feedback between Ulloa and the students.
Not only are his teaching attributes apparent to students and observers, but Ulloa’s colleagues can also affirm.
“Dr. Ulloa brings a very interdisciplinary approach to the classroom as he teaches Spanish in applied, academic and creative contexts,” said Lakeland Assistant Professor of Writing Madeleine Wattenberg.
“This is a great complement to Lakeland University's liberal arts mission, where we want to offer students tools for success and opportunities to gain new perspectives on the world around them. As a frequenter of open mic nights in Sheboygan, I've also had the pleasure of getting to know Èdgar as a poet and musician through his performances in the community.”
Ulloa is a bilingual poet, composer and producer. He directs a multimedia poetry project, Mi Juaritos, which explores border culture, memory and artistic experimentation through poetry, sound and visual media. Along with poetry, he composes and produces music under the project Beautiful Enemy.
Along with these interests, Ulloa enjoys “playing guitar, composing music, writing poetry, painting, cycling, practicing yoga, traveling and watching international cinema, many of which influence the interdisciplinary approach I bring into the classroom.”
Looking forward, Ulloa’s role within Interdisciplinary Studies will allow him to contribute to broader areas of the humanities. “Beginning in the upcoming semesters, I will also be teaching courses connected to interdisciplinary cultural studies, media and global perspectives, which reflect my research interests in film, border culture and transnational cultural studies,” he said.
Students can also explore writing-intensive courses focused on literature and cinema, interdisciplinary courses such as Digital Humanities and applied areas like translation and interpreting. These opportunities allow students to connect Spanish to careers in fields like education, healthcare, international business, community services and public administration.
Ulloa said Lakeland’s Spanish program is currently undergoing curriculum revisions designed to create a more unified and flexible academic pathway that emphasizes applied language learning, experiential opportunities, interdisciplinary connections and professional preparation.
Ulloa’s advice for students interested in pursuing Spanish education at Lakeland or elsewhere is to “stay curious and actively use the language. Learning Spanish is not just about grammar—it is about communication, culture and connecting with people from different backgrounds.”
“Students should not be afraid to make mistakes. The most important part of language learning is practice, persistence and openness to new perspectives. Spanish can open doors academically, professionally and culturally, and it is a valuable skill in today’s global society.”
