Julia Domínguez

AATSP Teacher of the Year
College/University Level

The AATSP Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award College/University Level is Julia Domínguez from Iowa State University in Ames, IA. In the strong student recommendation letters written by her students, one of the phrases that students consistently used to describe Domínguez was that she goes “above and beyond.” Her passion and enthusiasm for teaching Spanish has led to her impact on her students’ career trajectories; one student eloquently described how taking a class with Domínguez is a process of “learning with” as opposed to “learning from” an instructor given the inviting environment, space for critical inquiry, and Dominguez’s caring, genuine, and energetic demeanor. Domínguez’s commitment to world language education is transformative; another student wrote that “students who struggle in other classes shine in hers.” Put succinctly, Domínguez knows how to reach her students, to cheer for them, engage them, and encourage them to see themselves as successful in and out of the language classroom.

While Domínguez’s success in the classroom by all standards of measure, (10 out of her 30 most recent courses taught earned a perfect score on student evaluations), can be considered a model for language instruction, Domínguez is also an exemplary scholar-teacher. A specialist in Early Modern Spain, Domínguez’s senior seminar on Cervantes is one of her department’s most sought-after courses. As one colleague noted, “Making early modern Spanish literature engaging and interesting to 21st century students can be extremely challenging, yet her students still love reading Cervantes.” Domínguez doesn’t just teach Spanish literature, however, she also has developed and regularly teaches courses in various areas including applied linguistics, dialectology, and culture(s). Domínguez engages her students from both sides of the Atlantic, as demonstrated by her transatlantic course “Don Quixote in Latin America and Latin America in Don Quixote.”

Outside of the classroom, Domínguez has directed a 6-week study abroad program in Valencia, Spain for 13 years and a semester-long program in Cáceres, Spain for 7 years. Both successful programs provide opportunities for international internships and Domínguez has successfully supervised over 40 of these internships abroad, ranging in fields from engineering, to business, to the health sciences. Domínguez is a tireless advocate for her students and she encourages and inspires them to become intercultural global citizens through coursework, study abroad opportunities, and international internships.

Personal Acceptance Statement

It is with the sincerest gratitude that I thank you for recognizing my passion for teaching with the AATSP award for College/University Teacher of the Year! I have dedicated my life to educating and preparing globally-informed citizens who are engaged with world cultures, and I want my students become excellent communicators in a second language as well as bicultural through the study of the Spanish-speaking world. Therefore, it stands to reason that while I am humbled and so appreciative of this recognition and honor, I could not have done it without such wonderful students. They deserve this recognition as much as I do, and I am forever indebted to them for their steadfast support just as I am also grateful to the AATSP for bestowing this honor upon me.

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