Interview with Araceli Alonso

Partial Transcript: TR: Alright, good morning. Today is March 27, 2019...

Subjects: Academic Staff Award; UW-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: TR: First question, and this is a big, broad question, so answer it however you want...

Segment Synopsis: What brought you to UW-Madison? Alonso Araceli (AA) reflects on her unlikely and "miraculous" journey. AA diagnosed with polio at 13 months old. Between then and 18, she has many surgeries and was always behind in school. AA grew up in Spain and received a letter from the Spanish government saying she wouldn't be able to hold a job. AA does two bachelors degrees in Spain, one in nursing and one in history. AA works as a nurse in a hospital in Spain for 12 years but wants to do more.

Keywords: bachelor's degree; childhood polio; history education; nursing; nursing education

Partial Transcript: AA: And then I came to the United States with a scholarship...

Segment Synopsis: No question. AAcomes to US on scholarship for masters in physical anthropology at University of Minnesota-Mankato. AA receives an award for her master's thesis. Her professors push her to go to UW-Madison. AA accepted to study cultural anthropology. AA loved UW-Madison and wanted to stay in Madion to pass on the skills she learned in Madison to her students.

Keywords: PhD; UW-Madison; University of Minnesota-Mankato; University of Wisconsin-Madison; cultural anthropology; doctorate; master's degree; physical anthropology

Partial Transcript: TR: A lot of people, myself included, talk about why...

Segment Synopsis: Why do you "love" being at UW-Madison? Madison gave AA the intellectual tools to develop which she wants to share with students. AA felt very fulfilled with the opportunities the campus provided. AA consistently encountered physical difficulties and considered quitting many times. AA explains that campus is not accommodating for people with physical disabilities. She notes that transportation and navigating campus are not easy.

Keywords: UW-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; accessibility; accomodations; disability

Partial Transcript: TR: I wanna back up to your time in Spain...

Segment Synopsis: How did you end up with degrees in both History and Nursing? AA came to Madison so she could put together all the things she had learned. For AA, being a nurse was very action oriented. But AA also wanted to understand why societies are the way they are. At Minnesota, she studied physical anthropology, focusing on bones. In Madison, AA started working at the Wisconsin Historical Society, studying bones of Native Americans. AA applied what she knew about anatomy to reflect on history and culture. She praises the openness of the American university system and reflects on the layers of culture and people that have come together in her academic work.

Keywords: Wisconsin Historical Society; anthropology; historical societies; history education; medical anthropology; nursing education

Partial Transcript: TR: So, I want to ask this question directly...

Segment Synopsis: How do you describe what you do? AA explains she teaches classes and conducts research on women's health and women's rights. AA reflects on her professional growth in being able to summarize what she does. AA started working with women's health because she had the opportunity to be a TA and later a lecturer for Women's Studies 103. AA tells students once you start working with gender you can't go back.

Keywords: Gender and Women's Studies; Women's Studies; research; social science research; social sciences research; women's health

Partial Transcript: TR: You're touching on this, but I want to ask it directly...

Segment Synopsis: What is your typical day like? Lots of emails. AA lists letters of rec, course prep, time with students students, and strategizing on working abroad as all part of her everyday. Every week, AA is writing letters of recommendation, in part because she takes many students abroad.

Keywords: academia; academic life; letters of recommendation; study abroad

Partial Transcript: TR: So, when did you start taking students abroad?

Segment Synopsis: When did you start taking students abroad? The idea started in 2009, as more students were asking about working abroad. In 2010, AA opportunity arises to work with women in rural Kenya who want to learn about women's health. Students wanted to apply the things they were learning with AA. Follow-up: Was the content of the teaching abroad like what you taught students in GWS 103? Answer: The criculum was like 103 but went beyond because AA had to train students in cultural compentenies and translate the material in culturally sensitive ways.

Keywords: Gender and Women's Studies; intercultural; research; research abroad; study abroad; travel

Partial Transcript: TR: I want to back up [...] Trips like this cost money.

Segment Synopsis: How did you get money to fund these trips? Grants and grant application a daily part of AA's work. Mogridge Center pays for the first anti-Malaria project. AA applies for and wins a Baldwin Wisconsin Idea grant which funds the next three years of trips. This grant allows AA to set up a program that eventually catches the attention of the United Nations. In 2013 AA receives United Nations Public Service Award.

Keywords: Morgridge Center; United Nations Public Service Award; Wisconsin Idea; Wisconsin Idea Grant; grant applications; grants; research grants; travel grants

Partial Transcript: TR: The UN found out about you?
AA: The former UNESCO president...

Segment Synopsis: How did the UN find out about you? Former UNESCO president Federico Mayor Zaragoza, found out about this project through one of AA's colleagues in Spain. AA shares anecdote about being in Kenya when she finds out about the award and being invited to the UAE to receive the award. AA decides not to go because she did not want to leave the women she was working with in Kenya.

Keywords: UN Award; UNESCO

Partial Transcript: TR: The other thing I wanted to ask is, you talk about teaching cultural competency...

Segment Synopsis: How did you learn to teach students cultural competency? AA has to learn what she's teaching very carefully. AA reflects on balancing academic study with staying grounded in the needs of people. AA speculates that she learned through doing.

Keywords: cultural competency; teaching; teaching cultural competency

Partial Transcript: TR: There's more I probably will ask about your work and your teaching...

Segment Synopsis: How has technology changed how you do things? AA recalls writing her first paper at Minnesota on a typewriter, not realizing the school had a computer lab. AA had to learn to use a computer. AA reflects on differences in library priveleges between the US and Spain. AA discusses the importance of technology in teaching and the need to be aware of how younger generations use technology. She reflects on how teaching styles have changed over time in relation to technology and how to be effective in classrooms today.

Keywords: attention spans; libraries; new technology; teaching tools; technology education; webinars

Partial Transcript: TR: Are there changes in technology [...] difficult for you to do your work?

Segment Synopsis: Are there changes in technology that you feel have made your work more difficult? For AA, having information available all the time is problematic. Smart phones present challenges. AA recounts history of classroom distractions and recalls newspapers in class. AA reflects on the challenge of utilzing technology's power while avoiding the problems it can create.

Keywords: information literacy; lectures; teaching; technology in the classroom

Partial Transcript: TR: Maybe one more thing on technology...

Segment Synopsis: How has email had an impact on your work? For AA, email provides good and bad things. It's allowed communication but has increased her workload. AA shares her habit of checking email late at night and reflects on the need for faculty to take care of their own health.

Keywords: email

Segment Synopsis: End of 3/14/2019 interview session

Partial Transcript: TR: Ok, today is April 8, 2019...

Partial Transcript: TR: When we ended our last session...

Segment Synopsis: Can you give an overview of other places you've taken students? Alonso Araceli (AA) describes her "research in action" in many places around the world on topics of women's health and women's rights. Follow-up: Have you taken students to any of these places? Answer: Yes, AA has taken students to Ecuador, Morocco, and Spain and will be taking a future group back to Morocco and Spain to study human traffiking and women's rights. AA describes tools she wants students to learn for working with women who have survived human traffiking.

Keywords: Cuba; Ecuador; HIV prevention; Kenya; Morocco; Spain; Uganda; Wisconsin; at-risk; global women's health; global women's rights; human trafficking; research; sex workers; trafficking survivors; trafficking victims; women's health; women's rights

Partial Transcript: TR: I don't think I got to ask this last time. We talked about the training...

Segment Synopsis: What is involved in getting students overseas, logistically? AA works with the Study Abroad program offering a course that satisfies the Global Health Certificate. AA contrasts how rewarding the experiences are with the many difficutlies and responsibilties involved in.

Keywords: Global Health Certificate; field course; fieldwork; global health; study abroad

Partial Transcript: TR: Araceli, one more thing about that...

Segment Synopsis: How do you take care of yourself as you work with trauma and how do you teach your students to do the same? AA describes briefings provided to students, emphasizing the weight of these experiences. AA values talking and reflecting on student experiences. AA tries to protect students from seeing too much. AA sees a subtle line in attempting to limit exposure, noting for example that she never asks survivors to share their stories. AA wants to create spaces where students feel comfortable sharing but never wants to leave students with dark feelings. AA channels the outrage she feels to keep working. Working with students also sustains AA.

Keywords: human rights; human trafficking; self-care; working with survivors; working with trauma survivors; working with victims

Partial Transcript: TR: I'm interviewing you ostensibly because you received an Academic Staff award.

Segment Synopsis: Do you think about the relationship between academic staff and faculty? AA sees the issue as unavoidable, but we're all working within the univeresity towards the same goals.

Keywords: UW-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; academic faculty; academic staff; faculty

Partial Transcript: TR: My next question is, specifically on campus...

Segment Synopsis: Have you been apart of any committees, particularly those about academic staff? AA regrets never having been on these kinds of committees but has never had the time largely because of her teaching.

Keywords: academia; committees; lectures; teaching

Partial Transcript: TR: So, Araceli, you did say you'd been involved...

Segment Synopsis: Could you talk about the work you've done in Madison with Women's Health? AA works with local Latino communities in Madison. Adapts strategies she uses abroad like the promotion of health through the training of "health promoters". AA also pursues work on human trafficking and was one of the first to join the anti-human trafficking committee in the state of Wisconsin. AA notes early on no one recognized the dangers of human trafficking in Wisconsin, so she goes to speak to Senators. AA participates in first study on human trafficking in Wisconsin. AA also works very closely with project RESPECT, an organization that works with survivors of human trafficking. Project RESPECT provides crucial support to the STREETS (Social Transformations to End Exploitation and Trafficking for Sex,) part of the 4W initiative (Women, Well-Being, Wisconsin and the World)

Keywords: 4W Initiative; Centro Hispano; Project Respect; STREETS; Social Transformations to End Exploitation and Trafficking for Sex; Wisconsin; Women, Well-Being, Wisconsin and the World; anti-human trafficking consortium; health promotion; human trafficking; prevention

Partial Transcript: TR: I want to ask the story behind the academic staff award...

Segment Synopsis: Did you know you were being nominated for an academic staff award? AA has three awards: Mid-Career teaching award, Chancellor's award for Excellence in Teaching Award, and Distinguished prefix award. AA remembers having no idea about the mid-career award and was very surprised and grateful. AA had to provide materials for the other two and knew about those. Follow-up: Did you attend the reception for your excellence in teaching award and what were your memories? Answer: AA recalls meeting the chancellor, remembering it overall as a beautiful event.

Keywords: chancellor's award; excellence in teaching award; mid-career award

Partial Transcript: TR: So, the last question...

Segment Synopsis: What will your legacy be and what you want to be remembered for? AA says her legacy has been with her students. Important to her to find her students in different places throughout the world. AA loves when students still remember her name and her courses and what she tried to teach them. On campus, AA was instrumental in establishing UNESCO chair.

Keywords: UNESCO; legacy; students

Partial Transcript: TR: I always ask if there's anything else...

Segment Synopsis: Any final thoughts? AA expresses how grateful she is to the university, faculty, and in particular her department chairs for supporting her ideas. AA how grateful she is for being academic staff. AA reflects on the unique position of academic staff within the university which has allowed her to be more creative.

Keywords: UW-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison; academic staff