Dr. Leila Gómez, director of the Latin American Studies Center (LASC), has joined the faculty of Women and Gender Studies as associate professor. Recently awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award by the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Graduate School, Gómez's research centers on Latin American and Indigenous literatures and cultures from the 19th to 21st centuries, with emphasis in the Andes, Mexico, Paraguay and Argentina.