She has a BA in English Linguistics and Literature (2000) from University of Deusto and an MA in Hispanic Linguistics (2003) and a PhD in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (2008), both from the University of Arizona. She works at Colorado State University since 2008, where she teaches courses on Formal and Applied Hispanic Linguistics, and Methods/Assessment in the Teaching of Foreign Languages, among others. She has published on critical pedagogy, metalinguistic awareness, heritage language learning, and academic integrity. Other research interests include psycholinguistics, program evaluation, instructional technology, multilingualism and forensic linguistics.