ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans

I worked at the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans Summer Arts Program from 2009 through 2017. The program is open to children ages 6 – 14, offering classes in visual arts, music, theater, film, culinary arts, and dance. Throughout the four weeks of the program, I guided students through activities inspired by award-winning children’s books such as Abiyoyo and folktales like Anansi the Spider. Classes offered culturally collaborative lessons in Claymation, Capoeira, Mirengue, Salsa, puppetry, and more. I took a one-year hiatus from the program to study abroad. I returned in 2016 as an assistant cooking instructor, teaching lessons which combined foodways with nutritional science.

Photo: CAC Summer Arts Camp 2014.  Photo taken by John Landry.

Paper Presentation: Louisiana Folklore Society 

As an undergraduate student of Louisiana State University, I presented my first academic paper "Spring Rolls and Banh Mi: Preserving Vietnamese Culture with a New Orleans Twist" at the 59th Annual Louisiana Folklore Society Meeting in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I was able to accomplish this through the encouragement and guidance of my professors Dr. Solimar Otero and Dr. Carolyn Ware.

Study Abroad

As an undergraduate, I entered the Study Abroad Program of Louisiana State University in the Summer of 2015. Over the course of four weeks, students participated in regionally organized classes that spanned Galway, Belfast, Derry, Sligo, and Dublin. Our courses focused on Irish traditional music, literature, and political history. I took special interest in the translation and study of Omagh runes, as well as the research of phenomenology of “craic” in traditional music sessions.

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Photo: Omagh runes, Trinity College Dublin Library. Photo taken by Emily Rodriguez.