Contact Information
-Office #4024
Office Hours
-Wednesday 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
-Friday 10:15 AM to 11:15 AM
- And by appointment
Biography
Luis David Gaytán-Soto is a 1st generation Mexican-American graduate student who was born in Southern California but lived in Villa de Alvarez, Colima, Mexico, between the ages of 7 and 11. As a McNair Scholar, Luis graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) majoring in Spanish with minors in history and philosophy. That same year, Luis joined UIUC to pursue graduate studies in Hispanic Linguistics. As a first generation student, Luis is aware the impact that being a first gen student has on ones self. Navigating higher education can be daunting and confusing. As a result, Luis is dedicated to giving back to his community and students. Hence, Luis has served as a mentor to 4 students from his alma mater, 1 from UCLA, and 1 from UIUC. In his spare time he enjoys playing the diatonic accordion.
Research Interests
- Instructed Heritage and Second Language Acquisition
- Phonological Awareness Training in relation to literacy development
- Spanish in the U.S. and bilingualism
- Heritage language development
- Heritage classroom instruction and literacy development
Education
- M.A. (In Progress) in Hispanic Linguistics, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
- B.A. (Cum Laude) in Spanish Linguistics and Literature with minors in History and Philosophy. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP), 2018-2022
Awards and Honors
(•= University Internal) (†=External)
Fellowships
- Fall 2023-Career Exploration Fellowship | UIUC • $5,000
- Summer 2023-Summer FLAS Fellowship | European Union Center | UIUC • $7,500
- 2022-Present Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Fellowship † $30,000*
- Fall 2022-IGNITE Fellowship | Teach for America † $2,200
- 2022-2023 Aspire Illinois Masters Fellowship | UIUC • $20,000
- Summer 2022-SPI Summer Research Fellowship | UIUC • $4,500
- Spring 2022-IGNITE Fellowship | Teach for America † $1,200
- Summer 2021-Summer Research Fellowship | Northwestern University † $5,000
Research Travel Grants
- Fall 2023 Graduate College Master's Project Travel Grant | UIUC • $500
Conference Travel Grants
- Fall 2023-Department of Spanish & Portuguese Travel Grant | UIUC • $647
- Fall 2023-Committee on Ethnic Diversity in Linguistics Grant | LSA† $1,000
- Spring 2022-Conference Travel Grant | CPP • $600
Scholarships
- Fall 2022-Inspire Initiatives Scholarship | NAACP † $5,000
- Summer 2022-Latino Faculty Association Leadership Scholarship | CPP • $1,000
- Spring 2022-McNair GRE Scholarship | CPP • $200
- Spring 2021-Cecil B. Brown Scholarship | CPP • $6,000
- Spring 2021-English & Modern Languages Scholarship | CPP • $500
Stipends
- Spring 2024-Writing Across the Curriculum Seminar | UIUC • $135
- Fall 2023-Indigenous Scholars of the Americas | LSA† $200
Award(s)
- Spring 2024-Best Hispanic Linguistics Abstract | Georgetown University †
- Fall 2023-Graduate Student Leadership Award-Master's Student | UIUC • $500
Fellowships Applied:
- Spring 2023 Flagship Scholarship | Point Foundation (Semi-finalist)†
- Spring 2024-Access & Achievement Program Fellowship (Declined) | UIUC • $4,000-$8,000
- 2023-2024 Hispanic Scholarship Fund (Waitlisted) † $500-5,000
- Spring 2023-Summer FLAS Fellowship (Finalist) | Center for Global Studies • $7,500
- 2023-2024 Empowerment Fellowship (Finalist) † $20,000
- 2023-2024 Inter-Seminars Graduate Fellowship (Alternate) | UIUC • $37,250
Courses Taught
- SPAN 204: Advanced Grammar in Context (Spring 2024)
- LLS 100: Intro to Latina/Latino Studies (Spring 2024)
- LAS 112: First Year College Success (Fall 2023) *co-taught
- SPAN 141: Introduction to Spanish Grammar (Fall 2023)
- LAS 292: Global Perspectives in Cross-Cultural Contexts (Spring 2023)
- LAS 291: Global Perspectives for Inter-Cultural Learning (Fall 2022)
Recent Publications
(2023) Llombart-Huesca, A., Gaytán-Soto, L. “Spanish Heritage Language Learners: Reading difficulties and spelling errors”. Spanish as a Heritage Language Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, Pg. 65-87. https://journals.upress.ufl.edu/shl/article/view/1947
