Our dear colleague Dr. Zaida Corniel has been distinguished with the The David L. Ferguson Award for Inclusive Teaching at Stony Brook University, this academic year of 2021-2022. This award is a great recognition of Zaida’s commitment to the education and development of our undergraduate and graduate students and an honor for our department of Hispanic Languages and Literature.

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Stony Brook University “encourages experimentation, innovation, inclusivity, and evidence-based practices in all learning environments” and ” serves as the hub for teaching and learning, and is dedicated to the belief that excellent teaching in all its forms is vital to student success”.  This year CELT granted a total of nine awards, four in teaching, in the following categories: In-Person, On-line, Assessments, and Inclusive Teaching.  See  here for more information on the excellent work of CELT.

Dr. Zaida Corniel is Lecturer of Spanish and Caribbean Literature and its diaspora in our Department, founder and organizer of the drama group in Spanish Teatro Abierto, which meets weekly on campus. As a journalist, she has worked as a cultural editor and has published extensively in various Dominican magazines and newspapers. Her writings have been included in the journals Estudios Sociales, Guaraguao, Caudal, and on Hanging Out, Bilingual Publication of Essays and Creative Writing by Caribbean Authors, among others. She is the author of the short story collection Para adolescentes, premenopáusicas y especialistas de la salud. Two of her plays, De mujeres and Ay Fefa, Where is the Wind?, have been staged in the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Watch the 2 minute video of Zaida Corniel receiving the award this May 2022.