As Mrs. Emily Niles of the Spanish Department is temporarily out on maternity leave, Dr. Marisa Carpenter has joined the University of Detroit Jesuit High School faculty for the Fall Semester of the 2024-2025 school year as a substitute Spanish teacher. Before U of D, Dr. Carpenter previously worked at Spring Arbor University, which she described as “not a Catholic institution, but it was still very Christ-centered, similar to here.” She also described her calling to work at U of D as a “mutual answer to prayer.” 

Dr. Carpenter grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, about 45 minutes from U of D, where she attended Michigan State University before moving to Wisconsin for 10 years to get her PhD in Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin. Her interest in Spanish was galvanized in high school through her experience with her Spanish teacher. She recalls: “everyone hated her because she only spoke in Spanish, and I adored it.” Her passion for the Hispanic language and culture further reflects in her choices of favorite food, music, and alternative career choice. Her favorite food is avocados, which she says she will eat in “any way you can serve them.” Alongside Bob Marley, which she says reminds her of her late father, she also enjoys Hispanic artists like Enrique Iglesias: “I love any artist like him who collaborates with other and doesn’t just stick with one type of music.” When asked what career path she would take if she weren’t a teacher, Dr. Carpenter responded that she would study Speech Pathology, which she says she would use to help more “vulnerable, Hispanic immigrant populations by helping them with their speaking within the US school system.” 

Her self-described three main qualities are intuition, creativity, and patience. Dr. Carpenter says her intuition allows her to “really understand people and assume the best of them.” She also says her creativity, which allows her to create effective, engaging lesson plans for her day-to-day Spanish classes. Finally, she describes patience as something she didn’t always have, but rather, “gained it through being a mom and a teacher.” Though only at U of D for a part-time period, Dr. Carpenter nonetheless hopes to use this time to make the most out of her role as a Spanish teacher, and ultimately make a lasting impact on the linguistic ability of students to carry on for years to come.