Meet The Team

Dr. Katherine Roseau is associate professor of French at Mercer University. As a Global French Studies scholar and an oral history practitioner, she uses an interdisciplinary framework of theories in memory, place, and cognitive studies to analyze oral and written self-narratives as a way to understand how humans construct their identities in contexts of war, migration, and dehumanizing oppression. Her research interests include life writing of the Holocaust, migration, and individual and collective memory. Driven by a desire to show students the relevancy of French in the U.S. and to provide them with meaningful service-learning opportunities, she is making connections with Haitian communities in Georgia and organizations who aid refugees. With Libertad Aranza, she is co-director of “Integrating Voices of Refugees and Immigrants: Faculty and Curriculum Development.” Her articles have appeared in French Historical Studies, Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History, Textual Practice, and a/b Auto/Biography Studies.

Dr. Alana Alvarez is associate professor of Spanish at Mercer University. She graduated with her PhD from Vanderbilt University. She has published articles on mestizaje and critical race studies, and has led multiple service-learning trips to small-scale gold mining communities in Peru and Guyana. She turned to oral history as a way to bring balance to service-learning trips that focused on the scientific aspect of life in small-scale mining communities. Both Dr. Alvarez and her Spanish-speaking students felt it was important to convey a different reality and decided to conduct interviews with the community. From this learning process, Dr. Alvarez  was able to collaborate on an NEH grant that allocated $150,000 to curriculum development at Mercer University for a project on oral history and migration. Her work has focused on the importance of oral history as an effective teaching tool for language learners. 

Jaiden is a senior majoring in Spanish and Business Administration in Entrepreneurship. She is dedicated to bridging gaps through language and business, whether in cultural programming, operational support, or advocacy. As Assistant Director and Gallery Manager at The McEachern Art Center, she has gained hands-on experience in event planning, contract management, digital marketing, and scheduling systems. She has led artist markets, organized academic conferences, and streamlined team operations. Her academic work includes conducting oral history interviews for an honors thesis on language barriers faced by migrants and asylum seekers, as well as volunteering at the San Diego border. In Summer 2023, she studied abroad in Seville, Spain with Spanish Studies Abroad, taking courses on business, economics, and European job markets. She is currently pursuing opportunities in business analytics, operations, cultural programming, and nonprofit advocacy while applying to graduate programs.

French and Philosophy, Mercer 2025

Project assistant

French, Creative Writing, Art, Mercer 2025

Project assistant

Libertad Aranza is senior lecturer of Spanish at Mercer University. She joined the Department of World Languages and Cultures in 2019. Mrs. Aranza earned her M.A. in Spanish from the University of New Mexico and her B.A. in Spanish literature from the University of California at San Diego. She has experience teaching native, non-native, and heritage speakers of Spanish at the K-12 and college levels. Mrs. Aranza teaches all classes of Spanish, including courses on Hispanic culture and grammar and Hispanic literature. Many of her courses include service learning. Mrs. Aranza is the co-founder and co-editor of Vox Populi, the creative magazine of the WLC department. She is the Mercer Spanish club co-adviser and the founder and advisor of biweekly Spanish Table Talks to encourage conversational Spanish outside the classroom. Mrs. Aranza has established study abroad programs in Mexico for cultural exploration and service leaning. She has earned some teaching awards along the way, such as the Elective Teacher Award from the Robert F. Munroe Day School in 2019 and the Innovation Teaching Award from Mercer University in 2023.  Additionally, Mrs. Aranza is collaborating with Dr. Katherine Roseau on “Integrating Voices of Refugees and Immigrants: Faculty and Curriculum Development.”

Dr. Rachel Schaff is assistant professor of Media Studies at Mercer University. She was previously the postdoctoral teaching fellow in screen studies in the Department of Media Arts, Sciences, and Studies in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Dr. Schaff’s research addresses questions of melodrama across various cinematic forms and national contexts in relationship to how Holocaust memorialization is institutionalized. Her peer-reviewed scholarly essays have appeared in Afterimage, Cinema et Cie, Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film, Screen, Spectator: The USC Journal of Film and Television, and Studies in Eastern European Cinema. She collaborated with the project directors to organize the fall 2024 film series "Documenting Refugee & Immigrant Experiences: From the Global to the Local," which included discussions with directors and a faculty panel.

Sara Brito is a senior at Mercer University pursuing a double major in Spanish and Media Studies with minors in Marketing and Technical Communications. She served as a Videographer Intern with "Integrating Voices," where she combined her passion for storytelling with her technical expertise. In this role, Sara photographed screenings and cultural events, taught students camera and audio production skills, and produced interview-based video projects that highlight the voices and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking community. Her work emphasizes both creative expression and cultural engagement, making media more accessible and impactful. Sara has experience in leadership, social media marketing, videography, and event coordination through positions with IMWE, Mercer TRIO, and other student organizations. 

French, Spanish, and Psychology, Mercer 2025

Project assistant

Spanish and Global Health, Mercer 2025