Teresa Rinaldi, Ph.D., teaches Spanish for Communication I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII for the Spanish Language certificate program. She is originally from Argentina, obtained her doctorate at the University of California, Merced with the dissertation entitled “Soles de Oriente en Latinoamérica” (Nikkei Cultural Production in Brazil and Argentina). Her background education includes, Music, Spanish and English. She was recently selected to participate in Freeman Institute in Japanese studies at the University of Hawai’i, Honolulu and Okinawa, Japan. She has also recently been invited to teach a graduate course at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is currently teaching Spanish, Latin American Literature, Film and Culture classes at National University, San Diego. Research interests include: Nikkei cultural production in Latin America, Gender Studies, Comparative Immigration Studies, Musical productions, Film and Culture and Women’s literature.