Whether she's teaching intermediate Spanish or a course in Hispanic literature, Teresa Mendez-Faith draws on her personal history to bring her subject alive. A native of Paraguay, she was the daughter of a political dissident who was exiled from his country in the 1950s and even "disappeared" for 43 terrifying days in 1977. Although her late father is now revered in his country, the experience is a major influence in the Saint Anselm professor's life and career.

Mendez-Faith studied in the United States and wrote her dissertation on the literature of Latin American writers in exile. She continues to work toward a fully democratic Paraguay, and in 1989, was part of a delegation sent to observe the first relatively free elections there in almost 40 years.

"Language and culture are inseparable, like two sides of the same coin," says Mendez-Faith. "I have the advantage of being part of both the language and the culture that I teach.

"I would like my students to respect and appreciate the culture that produced the language and literature they're learning, and to be aware of the international issues that often appear as themes—and if possible, to become politically active and be part of the solution to the world's problems."