People

Dr. Julio C Rodríguez is the Director of the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, Director of the Center for Language and Technology, and Director of the National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He has a graduate degree in translation and interpretation, a MA in applied linguistics, and a PhD in curriculum and instructional technology specializing in the context of technology use and integration into language teacher education. Within the broad area of instructional technology, he is now primarily focused on faculty development programs, project-based language learning, materials development, online course design and improvement, and design-based research. He is currently involved in a national initiative to infuse project-based learning in the foreign language curriculum. Before coming to the University of Hawaii, he directed the curriculum development division for online courses at Iowa State University, where he lead and participated in several grant-funded materials development projects including an award-winning online course. Rodriguez has published and presented on instructional technology, project-based language learning, and design-based research, including a co-edited publication on design-based research in computer-assisted language learning.

Dr. Suzanne Freynik earned her PhD in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2015. She has an MA in Linguistics from the University of South Carolina, and a BA in Spanish with a minor in Arabic from Florida State University. She has previously taught academic writing and culture courses in American University’s English Language and Training Academy, served as a language program evaluation consultant for the Middle East Institute, worked as a research analyst at the Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language Studies, and collaborated with research teams on technology-mediated language learning projects at University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language. Her research interests include the effects of proficiency and typological distance on second language sentence processing, task-based language teaching in distance- and blended-learning contexts, and leveraging technology to promote interaction in the language classroom.

Molly Godwin-Jones earned a BA in Russian Studies from the College of William and Mary, an MA in Russian Language and Literature form Boston College, and an MA in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Kansas, where she also taught Russian language. In addition, she studied translation and interpretation at Pyatigorsk State University in southern Russia, where she taught English as a foreign language for four years. In her experience teaching both Russian and English, Molly enjoyed implementing technology projects, such as investigating ways to better learn vocabulary through online flashcard tools. Her current research interests include ways to incorporate digital humanities tools into the foreign language curriculum and investigating methods to improve students’ spoken fluency.

As Assistant Faculty Specialist in Human-Computer Interaction, Richard focuses on online learning environments for language instruction and research. Richard was previously assistant professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer and Mathematical Sciences at New Mexico Highlands University. During his time at NMHU, he was principal investigator on an S-STEM grant funded by the National Science Foundation and co-directed numerous graduate research projects in data science and cyber security. Prior to his tenure at NMHU, Richard worked as the IT Specialist at the Center for Language & Technology at the University at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He has published extensively on the topic of technology mediated representational practices in computer supported collaborative learning settings. At the Tech Center, Richard serves as the lead for “Hack The Flagship” and as technology liaison for LaunchPad start-ups. He also contributes his expertise to adaptive and blended learning initiatives.

Rachel Mamiya Hernandez has extensive language teaching experience across a variety of contexts. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, an MA in Second Language Studies with a concentration in Language Teaching, and a PhD in Learning Design and Technology both from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Some of her interests include language acquisition and teaching, project-based language learning, online intercultural exchanges, social justice, and instructional design. From book publishing to podcasting, her projects have engaged learners of Spanish, Portuguese, and English through meaningful language use, connecting with local and global communities. Additionally, she has served on the Boards of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching SWCOLT), the National Federation of Modern Language Teaching Associations (NFMLTA), and the Hawai‘i Association of Language Teachers (HALT).

Bryan Keith is the Media Design Specialist for the Center for Language and Technology. His role involves designing and producing various digital multimedia products, including graphics, videos, webpages, and instructional materials for the CLT, NFLRC, and Tech Center.

Bryan received his BA in Film/Video Production from Penn State University. He has since had the opportunity to work in Los Angeles on a variety of media, film, and virtual reality productions, run his own graphic design studio, and serve the University of Hawaiʻi through multimedia work for both the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. His interest in finding creative solutions has been the driving force behind developing his wide and adaptable skillset.

Dr. Spring is the Associate Director of the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, Professor of Chinese Language, and the founding Director of the Chinese Language Flagship Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2014-2020). She earned her Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Washington. Her research interests are divided between medieval Chinese literature (especially Six Dynasties to Tang prose and rhetoric) and current issues in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL). In that area, her focus is on curricular design and implementation, content-based instruction, intercultural communicative competence, and assessment. She is the author of Making Connections: Improve Your Listening Comprehension in Chinese, which is now in its second edition. She has written numerous articles on various aspects of TCFL.

She is a frequent presenter on topics such as curricular development, assessment, teacher beliefs, adapting authentic materials, immersion Chinese, integrating technology in teaching advanced level Chinese reading, writing, intercultural communicative competence, and online communities. Spring has worked with others to define and disseminate information about The Language Flagship Programs, and has held leadership positions in the Chinese Flagship programs at the University of Oregon, Arizona State University, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Asia Gillette completed the Arabic Flagship Program in Morocco from 2022 to 2023. Currently, she is pursuing an MA in Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She holds a BA in Middle Eastern/Arabic, with a double major in Arabic Language. Her extensive experiential learning in the Middle East and North Africa has fueled a deep interest in second language acquisition and language revitalization. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going to the beach, watching movies, and traveling.

Trevor Harms is an incoming MA student in EALL-Chinese linguistics and a recent graduate of the BYU Chinese Flagship program. During his time at BYU, he discovered his passion for both Chinese culture and the Chinese language. With the help of several professors along the way, he ultimately decided to come to UH Manoa to further pursue Chinese Linguistics. Some of his interests/hobbies include hiking, rock climbing, and snowboarding.

Leeseul Park is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Department of East Asian Language and Literatures at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She holds a BA in political science from Chuo University in Japan and a MA in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her research interests center around Korean language pedagogy, materials development, and instructional technology. Additionally, inspired from her teaching experience in Korea, Japan, and the U.S., she is interested in vocabulary assessment and learners’ self-repair behavior in speaking. In her free time, she enjoys listening to local artists and snorkeling to find Hawaiian Honu.

Selina Zheng is a Macaulay Honors College – Hunter College freshman in the Chinese Flagship program. She is looking to double major in Computer Science BA and Chinese Language and Arts BA. Selina spent the first five years of her childhood in Fujian, China which helped develop her Mandarin and Fujianese, a dialect spoken in Fujian, speaking skills. Selina believes language used to communicate between humans and language used to communicate with machines are equally essential to the world as globalization expands. Her hobbies include reading novels in English and attempting to read in Mandarin.

Nicole Cortes is a sophomore at the University of Georgia studying International Affairs, Portuguese, and Sustainability. She is interested in studying disinformation management in relation to U.S. national security. Her academic pursuits include being a member of the Portuguese Flagship Program and being an undergraduate researcher with the Crisis Insights & Analytics (CIA) Lab. Outside the classroom, she works with International Student Life (ISL) as a volunteer for international student orientation and other ISL events. She won the, “Volunteer of the Year Award,” in 2023 for her work with ISL. .

Camryn Pfister is a sophomore undergraduate student at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, in the Russian Flagship program. She is pursuing a Political Science B.A. and a Peace, War, and Defense B.A. with a concentration in International Security and Intelligence. She plans to attend law school after graduation and is interested in international law.

Ashley is a junior at Virginia Tech and is majoring in both International Relations and Russian. She is in her second year of being part of the flagship program and loves all the opportunities it has presented to her. As a student, she has been working as an undergraduate teaching assistant for a computer science course and she is also a member of the International Relations Organization. Through the organization, she gets to work with a team to write policy papers about current world events. After graduation, she hopes to work as an event coordinator for an international cultural institution. During her free time, she loves traveling, skiing, and going to Virginia Tech football games.

Natasha is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. She loves to study languages, dance, cook, travel, and hang out with friends. She is a Portuguese Flagship student, and additionally studies Spanish and Mandarin. In terms of dance, she is trained in ballet, but recently has changed directions, joining the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company last year and being accepted as an apprentice of her university’s Ballroom Performance Group. She is also interested in social issues, especially environmental injustice and racial inequality. She is involved in groups on campus and off, co-founding the youth-led group Georgia for the Planet and serving as her dorm’s Eco Rep as a freshman. She is currently pursuing a Romance Languages major, a Chinese major, and a Sustainability Certificate. In the future she would like to combine her passions for teaching languages, dancing, traveling, and being an activist to increase global access to education, help marginalized communities, raise awareness about environmental issues, and further cultural understanding.

Emily is a senior at Indiana University from Houston, Texas, and is in her third year of the Arabic Flagship Program. At IU, she is the Student Media Coordinator for the Flagship Program and the president of a refugee organization called Amal Outreach for Displaced Peoples. She joins a women’s organization, named I Am That Girl, that is dedicated to building community amongst college students and middle and high school girls. She spent this past summer in Meknes, Morocco studying abroad and is excited to collaborate with students from other flagships and learn about different, better ways to incorporate technology at IU.

He is currently studying for an M.S. Computer Science at Northeastern University – Seattle Campus. After coming back from his Capstone Year, it was time for a new path. The tech industry drew him in, but his years of language accomplishments have not been to waste. With many classmates and peers from Asia, Chi’s Mandarin skills have become a very strong asset.