Celia Bravo Díaz received her PhD in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on second language acquisition. She also holds an MA in Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, & Linguistics from the same institution. She also holds a BA in Translation and Interpretation from the University of Grenada, Spain, and she is a Sworn Translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Her research in Second Language Acquisition is concerned with understanding how second language learners of Spanish acquire new sound categories and the nature of their development in reference to linguistic, individual and social factors. She has also conducted research on language variation in monolingual and bilingual communities in Spain, where she is from.
She has taught a variety of in-person, blended and online undergraduate courses both in the United States and in Spain. In the field of second language assessment, Celia is an International Baccalaureate Examiner for Spanish Language Acquisition and a DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) Examiner. Whether she is teaching Spanish language or linguistics courses, Celia uses a collaborative and inquiry-based learning approach to engage students with the use of Spanish in various social and geographical contexts, and to foster critical thinking skills that they can transfer to other disciplines.