Sharrah Lane
Sharrah Lane is a Spanish educator and Latin American researcher based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, currently serving as an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With over five years of experience in higher education, she teaches a wide range of courses—from beginner and intermediate Spanish to specialized topics such as Spanish for medical professionals, Hispanic film, and youth in Latin America—while also co-advising the Spanish Minor in the Professions. Her teaching emphasizes creativity, community-building, and student engagement through innovative, experiential learning approaches.
Her research centers on contemporary Latin American film, particularly the representation of children and the ways film production intersects with broader economic and cultural systems. She has explored how media reflects and reinforces societal structures, including capitalism and identity formation, and has contributed scholarship on both film studies and the use of artificial intelligence in language teaching. In addition to her academic work, she has engaged in translation projects supporting transgender Latino immigrant communities, demonstrating a commitment to socially impactful scholarship.
Lane’s academic journey includes a PhD in Spanish Languages and Literature from the University of Kentucky, where she also held leadership roles and received multiple honors for her research and service. Beyond the classroom, she co-leads study abroad programs in Costa Rica, providing students with immersive cultural experiences that complement their academic learning. Driven by a passion for language, culture, and education, she strives to create inclusive spaces where students feel empowered to take intellectual risks and build meaningful connections.
• GUIDE Training
• University of Kentucky- Ph.D.
• Middlebury College
• University of Virginia- M.A.
• University of Virginia- B.A.
• Piedmont Virginia Community College- Associate's
• Dean's Competitive Fellowship
• Gabriela Mistral Award
• Translation work with transgender Latino immigrants
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the support of colleagues, a creative and innovative approach to teaching and research, and a strong commitment to helping and positively impacting my students.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to try new things in terms of teaching. For instance, in the culture course I'm teaching this semester, I came up with a new idea for our final project, and we've run into some roadblocks, but nothing severe. I've been doing a lot of creative final projects in my classes because another thing about teaching is being in touch with the student body. I speak to my students to see what are things that maybe they don't know they need, but things that are going to keep them interested in the class. The final projects I implement tend to be a little bit more creative rather than strictly academic. I try to think of ways that get students into more creative and maybe quote-unquote risky things to kind of get them out of the box. I always tell my students, this is an experiment, we'll see how it goes, and if it doesn't go quite as planned, don't worry about it, because we'll figure things out. I think it's really important to have supportive colleagues in your department who you can talk to about the projects you're doing. Taking time for yourself is important too, and doing things outside of your job. We live in a time where our job is supposed to be connected to who we are, but I've always been kind of a helper, so I knew I was going to be in a helping profession. What's really inspiring for me is seeing how being in my class really changes students' perspectives on things and creates an atmosphere of community.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field include balancing multiple responsibilities, managing time constraints, and navigating delays in academic publishing. At the same time, there are exciting opportunities to integrate creative and experiential learning into coursework, expand curricular offerings, and use AI in meaningful ways to enhance language teaching.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are community, creativity, helping others, and a strong commitment to making the world a better place.