Cougar Queries is a series profiling BYU employees by asking them questions about their work, interests and life.
BYU employee since: 2013.
My job at BYU is... professor of German and second-language acquisition and associate chair in the department of German and Russian.
I am currently working on... a large-scale study on how national language standards are utilized by post-secondary language instructors. In collaboration with two colleagues and the Modern Language Association, we have reached out to 4,000 post-secondary language instructors as part of this research.
I’m currently reading... "The Accidental Empress" by Allison Pataki.
I get most excited about my work when... my students not only grasp the theories we’re studying about effective language teaching but can also apply them and explain their significance with confidence.
I became a BYU fan when... I was born. My parents both graduated from BYU, and I grew up watching and attending BYU sporting events. When it was time to apply to colleges, I only applied to BYU.
My go-to BYU Creamery ice cream flavor is... In-Shanely Chocolate.
I chose to come to BYU because... of BYU’s unique environment that integrates academic excellence with spiritual growth, aligning with the mission to foster integrity, service and global citizenship.
Three things that are always found in my refrigerator are... cheese, more cheese and grapefruit.
My favorite quote is... "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives" — President Russell M. Nelson.
