About Us

Professors Ann Abbott and Darcy Lear (now at UNC Chapel HIll) began the Spanish & Illinois program in 2005 to meet the needs of two groups: students preparing for life after college and organizations that increasingly require knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures.

Click here to see a recent article about the community-based learning program.

Annie R. Abbott

Director, Spanish & Illinois
Assistant Professor

Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese

Annie Abbott received her PhD in Spanish from the University of Illinois in 1998.  As Assistant Professor of Spanish, she combines her research interests in second language pedagogy with developing new curricula for Spanish undergraduate students.  Her most recent projects incorporate community-based learning and entrepreneurship to promote public engagement between Spanish students and local Spanish-speaking immigrant communities.  Students work in local organizations that serve Latinos and identify entrepreneurial opportunities to serve Spanish speakers in new and better ways.  Her work also focuses on the international scope of entrepreneurship; she has taught “Spanish and Entrepreneurship” to U of I students in Barcelona, Spain during the summer and has helped develop a community-based learning course for U of I students in Costa Rica in which our students work in local schools.  Click here for Curriclum Vitae.