Stephanie W. Tucker

Stephanie is a Wilmington native with a lifelong passion for the Spanish language. She has lived and worked in Chapel Hill, Raleigh/Durham, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Ecuador and has had the privilege of teaching Spanish full-time at UNCW in the Department of World Languages and Cultures since 2014. Outside of work, she is dedicated to employing her Spanish language skills for translation and interpretation in the community, performing in Mainstage musical productions at Thalian Hall, being an active member of her church family, and spending time with her husband, Joshua, and two sons, Noah and Bodie.

Education

M.A. in Spanish, University of North Carolina Wilmington
B.A. in Spanish, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
B.A. in International Studies, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Specialization in Teaching

During her time in Ecuador, Stephanie worked for a medical service organization and thus has experience with Spanish related to the medical professions. In addition to teaching introductory and intermediate general Spanish courses, she is committed to providing practical and relevant Spanish-language instruction for Health Professions and exploring the development of other Spanish for Specific Purposes courses. She is a vibrant and communicative language teacher whose priority is helping students realize their own language capabilities and encouraging them to continue learning and speaking Spanish outside the classroom.

Professional Service

Stephanie is an active member of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, serving on several committees including the Departmental Presence Committee, the Spanish for the Professions Committee, and the Spanish Curriculum Committee. She has served on multiple search committees including the Search Committee for the Founding Dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts. Additionally, she is the Treasurer of the Cape Fear Foreign Language Collaborative. She served as the Coordinator of the Spanish Conversation Center, and she has been a Co-teaching Mentor for Spanish Graduate Teaching Assistants, many of whom have gone on to professional teaching positions in public schools, private schools, community colleges, and universities.

Community Engagement

Stephanie actively volunteers in her community with organizations and local entities like the New Hanover County Passport Office, FaithAction, New Hanover County Public Schools, Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Trinity United Methodist Church, UNCW MarineQuest, Nourish NC, and others. She seeks to use her Spanish language abilities to facilitate communication and access to community services.

Honors & Awards

Stephanie has received teaching and professional development grants from the Center for Teaching Excellence and was chosen to participate in CTE's Summer AI Innovation Initiative. She was recently nominated for Lecturer of the Year.