Luz Mueller

Describe your dissertation or thesis (if you completed one):

My thesis is titled "Leer para la paz: narrativa histórica en la literatura infantil y juvenil de trauma en Colombia." When I graduated with a B.A. in 2018, I wasn't planning on pursuing an advanced degree, but I discovered through my experience at Mason a passion for research and inquiry into the cultural makeup of my own context that instilled in me a desire for becoming a scholar with the aim of participating in the ideological discourse of cultural and academic significance in our times. I have just finished my M.A. thesis based in an interdisciplinary approach to literary analysis and historiography by which I was able to put a theoretical analysis of the current situation of children's education in view of armed conflicts in the global socio-political climate. I have discovered a desire for learning by deepening the knowledge that has been passed from my professors at Mason. In the same process I was able to identify a passion for teaching that stems from the intellectual formation and critical thinking skills I have acquired as a student myself. My goals have changed drastically since I began my education at Mason in 2016. It was during my experience as a graduate student and a GTA that I understood my real career goals as an educator and a scholar. In reality I was moved from conforming to seeking a paid job to a true search for personal goals and professional development that set me on a path to scholarly work and education. I truly believe that my experience at Mason has inspired me to be the best version of myself and the inspiration for my children as I have been able to show them hard work, passion and commitment to personal growth. It traces a discursive connection between children’s literature of trauma about the Holocaust, the political violence of the Latin-American dictatorships and the genocides in Rwanda to the literary creation in Colombia that addresses its long-lasting armed conflict. It navigates prior explorations in the field while conversing directly with authors and creators of children's literature in Colombia. Through an analysis of the evolution of the concept of childhood and its corresponding relationship with the development of a literature for children, it shows how the pervasiveness of moralist and instructional functions of children’s literature has given way to the expansion of the discourses promoting children’s social and cultural involvement and allowed for the increased treatment of difficult subjects in children’s literature. In light of the emergence of movements promoting the need to understand and preserve historical memory in the post-WWII world as a way to prevent the repetition of heinous acts and to honor the victims, issues like war, violence, death, and suffering are able to be treated in children’s literature. This represents a way of educating, advocating, and representing the effects of war in children’s collective identities and their view on the human condition through historic narrative. In the Colombian context, in which the armed conflict is ongoing, children's literature of trauma is used as a medium of visualization and to bring awareness and to instill empathy and understanding, highlighting the relevance of historical narrative in education for peace.

How did your academic experiences in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences impact you? 

When I graduated with a B.A. in 2018, I wasn't planning on pursuing an advanced degree, but I discovered through my experience at Mason a passion for research and inquiry into the cultural makeup of my own context that instilled in me a desire for becoming a scholar with the aim of participating in the ideological discourse of cultural and academic significance in our times. I have just finished my M.A. thesis based in an interdisciplinary approach to literary analysis and historiography by which I was able to put a theoretical analysis of the current situation of children's education in view of armed conflicts in the global socio-political climate. I have discovered a desire for learning by deepening the knowledge that has been passed from my professors at Mason. In the same process I was able to identify a passion for teaching that stems from the intellectual formation and critical thinking skills I have acquired as a student myself. My goals have changed drastically since I began my education at Mason in 2016. It was during my experience as a graduate student and a GTA that I understood my real career goals as an educator and a scholar. In reality I was moved from conforming to seeking a paid job to a true search for personal goals and professional development that set me on a path to scholarly work and education. I truly believe that my experience at Mason has inspired me to be the best version of myself and the inspiration for my children as I have been able to show them hard work, passion and commitment to personal growth.

What accomplishment(s) during your time at Mason are you most proud of?

I have had the opportunity to challenge myself through the entire graduate program and I have been humbled to be recognized as an outstanding scholar in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Receiving awards represents an incredible testament of the recognition of my work and effort by the faculty, but I believe my most relevant accomplishments are to have the opportunity to participate in several conferences where I have presented my work before scholars and academics. All of my projects have been a representation of the interdisciplinary education I received in CHSS. I have found myself interacting with scholars and authors in other universities and countries while in the process of conducting research for my own graduate work and through these opportunities I have been able to present my work and participate in the larger academic discourse at symposiums and conferences in universities in the Washington, D.C., area like Georgetown, the University of Maryland, and Towson University.

Are there faculty or staff members who made a difference during your Mason career? Please give an example of this impact if possible. 

I have found myself encouraged by mentors like Dr. Rei Berroa and Dr. Lisa Rabin. I owe to them the opportunity to continue into a career in academia. Dr. Berroa has had such an impact in my life that I believe it is his constant encouragement and belief in me that has given me the confidence to seek a path in academia and to challenge myself to pursue possibilities that I hadn't explored before. Dr. Rabin has guided me with such enthusiasm and reassurance that I can't but respond with the same positive energy and sense of wonder that she portrays. Both of them have instilled in me a passion for curiosity and a desire to positively influence the other through academia.

What advice would you give to an incoming cohort of graduate students?

Be curious and explore possibilities that can break standards and fixed ways of thinking, and make sure to utilize the resources that Mason has to offer. Allow your work be guided by creativity, but especially by a sense of humanity that allows you to participate and inspire change in the human condition. Pursue a purpose that gives you passion and seek a source of motivation; mine is the next generation beginning with my own children, to whom I owe the sense of wonder in understanding the world around me.

What are your current career plans following graduation? What are your long-term career goals?

I have begun my career in academia, I'm currently teaching elementary and intermediate Spanish courses here at Mason and my desire is to continue teaching until I can be fully participant in the scholar community. I have plans to pursue a doctoral degree, hopefully here at Mason.