April Vazquez

April Vázquez is a PhD student specializing in Sociocultural and Community-based Approaches to Education. Her research centers on expressions of agency in academic settings and the impact of young adult literature on youth identity development. A classroom educator for nearly two decades, April is also an award-winning creative writer. 

Education

• M.A., Romance Languages (Spanish Literature specialization), University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 2025 (expected).
• M.Ed., Teaching English as a Second Language, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 2005.
• B.A., English, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC, 1997.

Professional Experience

• Instructor of Record, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2024-present.
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2023-2024.
• Graduate Research Assistant, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2021-2023.
• Teacher: English as a Second Language and Spanish, Cabarrus County Schools, 2019-2021.
• Director, Deighton Academy Homeschool, León, Guanajuato, Mexico, 2013-2019.
• Teacher: English as a Second Language, Primaria Juan Pablo Segundo, León, Guanajuato, Mexico, 2011-2013.
• Teacher: English, Spanish, English as a Second Language, language arts, Mecklenburg County Schools, 2001-2010.
• Teacher: English, film critique, Davidson County Schools, 1998-2001.

Honors and Awards

• Robert Cartmill Outstanding Achievement Award in Spanish, University of New Orleans, 2025.
• Education Dissertation Support Award, University of Delaware, 2025.
• Dean’s Scholar, University of Delaware, 2021.
• A Midsummer Tale Narrative Writing Award, 2021.
• Carve Magazine’s Prose & Poetry Award, 2019.
• William Van Dyke Short Story Prize, 2017.
• North Carolina Teaching Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 1993-1997.

Publications

• Vázquez, A. (2025). A collective journey: Supporting our nonbinary students. Inquiry in Education. [Accepted for publication.]
• Vázquez, A. (2025). Ungrading: Making learning its own reward. In G. Riley & C. Ricci (Eds.), The ungraded classroom: Feedback, reflection, and authentic learning. Ricci Publishing.
• Vázquez, A. (2025). The scapegoat and environmental reckoning in Horacio Quiroga’s “Juan Darién.” Ellipsis: A Journal of Art, Ideas, and Literature, 50(1), Article 39.
• Vázquez, A. (2025). “I was always both”: Mestiza consciousness in a biethnic Anglo-Latina. The Vermont Connection Student Affairs Journal, 46(1), Article 14.
• Vázquez, A. (2024). The power of the poetry club. Journal of Educational Research and Innovation, 12(1), Article 6.
• Vázquez, A. (2024, October). The Christ figure in La malasangre by Griselda Gambaro and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor. Criterion: An International Journal in English, 15(5), 320-333.
• Vázquez, A. (2024). Girls in pieces: An exploration of ethnic identity in two Anglo-Latina university students. Society. Advance online publication.
• Vázquez, A. (2023, Fall). Hijas sin Papi: Plot tropes restored to life by Latina protagonists in three young adult novels. The ALAN Review, 51(1), 11-21.
• Vázquez, A. (2023, May). The magic of seeing yourself in books: Embracing depictions of multiracial characters in literature for young people. Kappan, 104(8), 52-55.
• Vázquez, A. (2023, March). Coming home: A reflection on the gift of poetry. The English Journal, 112(4), 51-57.

Presentations

• Vázquez, A. (2024, November 21-24). “It meant something to see those characters”: A nonbinary teen responds to nonbinary protagonists in young adult literature [Conference presentation]. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Boston, MA, United States.
• Vázquez, A. (2024, April 11-14). Toward mestizaje: Supporting integrated racial identity development in biracial young people [Roundtable session]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
• Vázquez, A. (2024, April 11-14). Non-traditional dissertation creators as Emersonian scholars [Poster presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
• Vázquez, A. (2023, August 3-5). Girls in pieces: Biracial identity among Latina-white university students [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, D.C., United States.
• Vázquez, A. (2022, October 15). Using creative arts to teach environmental justice [Conference presentation]. Philadelphia Writing Project Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.