Gabriela Luz Parizzi

Gabriela Luz Parizzi is from Santa Cruz do Sul, a city founded by German immigrants in the southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is bordered by Uruguay and Argentina, so its inhabitants are called gauchos, and the state has a gaucho culture as its foreign neighbors as well as German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish culture and traditions. This region is very rich linguistically: Portuguese, German, Italian are spoken, and the dialect in the region has a strong influence of the Spanish language. Growing up in this environment led Luz Parizzi to major in languages. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Languages/Translation (Portuguese and English as a major and Spanish as a minor) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She continued her studies in English at the International House English School in London and her studies in English and Spanish at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. She also has a Master’s Degree in English as a Second Language (ESL) Education from The University of Tennessee (UT) and a Graduate Certificate in Linguistics (Spanish) from The University of Tennessee. She is married and has two daughters. Her hobbies include singing and dancing ballet.

Email: gparizzi@vols.utk.edu