Her areas of interest are 20th century Latin American literature, as well as translation and interpretation studies. She obtained her Ph.D. in Spanish at the University of Florida and an M.A. in comparative literature at Florida Atlantic University. She also holds a B.A. in foreign languages and linguistics with a double major in Spanish and Italian and a degree as a professional translator and interpreter from the Scuola Superiore per Interpreti e Traduttori in Milan, Italy.