Xiomara Feliberty-Casiano

Xiomara Feliberty-Casiano

Preceptor (Spanish)
Ph.D. Hispanic Studies; Latin American Literature. University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, 2020
M.A. University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. School of Communications, 2008
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Xiomara Hipólita Feliberty-Casiano holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies (Deans of Humanities Award) and a Master's in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico. Her academic prowess is further underscored by a dual Massachusetts teaching certification, encompassing both English as a Second Language and Spanish as a Foreign Language. Feliberty-Casiano’s professional experience includes teaching Spanish as a second language (beginning to advanced levels), assisting course coordination, curriculum design, and instructors' mentorship. She also served as Bok Center Pedagogy Fellow and completed the Certificate in Teaching Language and Culture at the RLL Department, Harvard University.

 

Feliberty-Casiano is a proud Q Award Recipient. She has received the Certificate of Distinction and Excellence in Teaching Recipient, every semester, for every course taught at the RLL Department. She also received a Special Commendation for Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times, given by Dr. Amanda Claybaugh, Dean of Undergraduate Education, based on the undergraduates feedback about teaching staff deserving special recognition during Spring Semester, 2020 (transition from classroom to Zoom during the initial phase of the pandemic; given to 281 teaching members out of over 2,500). In the same way, her contributions to the Spanish Language Program and the Department of Romance Languages at large earned her the honor of being awarded the Department teaching award for exemplary teaching and the "Solomon Lincoln Fund Teaching Prize Awarded for Teaching and Service" (only given to one or two instructors each year).

 

Feliberty-Casiano academic pursuits are dedicated to equitable practice. She has a comprehensive understanding of diverse pedagogical approaches and the importance of equity in understanding diverse backgrounds, identities, and needs such as first generation students, heritage learners, and students with reasonable accommodations, as defined by the Disability Access Office. She envisions a classroom as a safe and pedagogically nurturing space for all. As part of a Departmental effort toward inclusivity and belonging, she helped design and submit a start-up project titled "The Binary Decoder." The project, aiming to explore and use alternative grammatical structures that capture the essence of non-binary and Latinx identities within language and culture classrooms, received a finalist mention from the Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund (2021.)

 

Feliberty-Casiano's approaches integrate new technologies, visual arts, and literary texts. This aims to cultivate critical thinking skills across all levels of language acquisition to spark the curiosity and inspire students to continue studying languages beyond College requirements. Thereby nurturing a generation of adept communicators and critical thinkers.

Contact Information

Boylston Hall 416
p: (617) 495-8476
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00PM-3:00pm

Department Role

Language