Mirella is a master’s student in Hispanic Studies. She received her BA with a double major in Sociology and Latin American Studies from UBC. Her thesis looks at the representation of bodies, with particular attention to hands and arms, in three short stories by the Puerto Rican author Mayra Santos-Febres. She approaches these works through the lens of abjection demonstrating how Santos-Febres destabilizes hierarchies and generates ambiguity through her use of literary and rhetoric devices.

When Mirella isn’t studying, she is either listening to Brazilian music or going for long walks around the city.

Interests

• Contemporary Latin American & Caribbean Literature
• Brazilian Literature & Cultural Studies
• Gender Studies
• Sexuality Studies
• Critical Race Theory

• Affiliated Fellowship (2023-2024)
• FHIS TA Award in Spanish (2023-2024)

Graduate supervisor: Dr. Tamara Mitchell

“Polluted Soundscape: The Sounds of Violence in Rita Indiana Hernández’s Papi,” Latin American Studies Association Annual Congress, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (June 2024), Bogotá, Colombia, virtual presentation.

“Body as Sign: Narrative Form and Gender in Señales que precederán al fin del mundo by Yuri Herrera,” Roots on Routes: Environment, Identity and Space, Western University (March 2024), virtual presentation.

“Ethics of Care and Eroticism in “Resinas para Aurelia” by Mayra Santos Febres, Latin America Research Group Workshop, University of Victoria (March 2024), in-person presentation.

“El poder de las voces negras en las novelas de Miguel de Cervantes y María de Zayas”, FHIS Graduate Student Symposium, University of British Columbia (May 2023), in-person presentation.