Professor Natalie Lira has been awarded the 2020-21 Latina/Latino Studies Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award honors the Department’s best teachers. Professor Lira is an engaging and dedicated teacher who has had a tremendous impact on students. Beyond the classroom, Professor Lira has worked closely with students in a variety of capacities—as an independent studies supervisor, summer research mentor, and research team supervisor. As a research team supervisor, Professor Lira involved 8 undergraduate students in her National Institute of Health (NIH) project on eugenic sterilization in North Carolina (see  https://lls.illinois.edu/news/2020-06-05/behind-board-eugenic-sterilizations-north-carolina). Through this training, students were able to build skillsets relevant to history, public health, and Latina/o studies. Professor Lira has also appeared consistently on the University’s List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent from 2015 to the present.

Congratulations, Professor Lira!