Profile for

Adrián Hernández Anderson, M.A.

Graduate Research Assistant

Adrián Hernández Anderson is an educator, researcher and author whose work focuses on Spanish heritage language education, curriculum studies, raciolinguistics and Indigenous language representation. He earned his M.A. in Spanish Language Teaching from East Texas A&M University in 2026, where his thesis examined the representation and omission of Indigenous languages in Spanish heritage language curricula. His research has been presented nationally and internationally and recognized at East Texas A&M's Annual Research Symposium.

Adrián teaches English and ESOL at W.T. White High School in Dallas ISD and is the founder and author of Let's Leer!, a bilingual literacy initiative that creates books and educational resources supporting language development, cultural identity and multilingual families. Across his teaching, research and writing, he is interested in creating curricula that represent the languages, histories and experiences of diverse communities with greater depth and equity.

A Conversation with Adrián

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending East Texas A&M?

I would tell them to take advantage of the relationships they can build with faculty. One of the most valuable parts of my experience was having professors who took my ideas seriously, challenged me and helped me see opportunities I did not always know existed. I entered the program as a classroom teacher interested in Spanish language education and left with a much clearer identity as both an educator and a researcher. East Texas A&M gave me the space to ask bigger questions and the mentorship to figure out where those questions could take me.

What do you like most about your career?

What I like most is that I do not have to choose between being a researcher, an educator and an author. Each part of my work strengthens the others. My classroom gives me questions to investigate, research helps me understand those questions more deeply and writing allows me to turn what I learn into resources that can reach students, educators and families beyond my own classroom.

Whether I am teaching English learners, researching Spanish heritage language education, contributing to open educational resources or writing bilingual children's books, I am ultimately asking the same question: How can educational materials better reflect the languages, cultures and experiences of the students using them?

Tell us about a project you are currently working on or recently completed.

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on has been contributing to open educational resources with Dr. Flavia Belpoliti for Spanish heritage language education and world-language teacher preparation. The work allowed me to approach curriculum as both a researcher and a classroom educator. OERs can expand access to high-quality instructional materials, but they also give us an opportunity to rethink what those materials represent. I am particularly interested in helping develop Spanish-language resources grounded in linguistic and cultural diversity, including the many communities, varieties, histories and identities that make up the Spanish-speaking world. For me, this work demonstrates how scholarship can move beyond publication and directly influence teaching and learning.

Tell us about an obstacle you overcame to achieve a career goal.

As an immigrant and first-generation college student, one of my biggest challenges was learning how to navigate higher education without always having a clear roadmap. I often knew where I wanted to go professionally without necessarily knowing the steps required to get there. Graduate school, research, conferences and even the possibility of pursuing a doctorate were opportunities I had to learn how to navigate along the way.

That experience has made each milestone especially meaningful. My education has not only helped me advance professionally; it has also taught me how to recognize opportunities, ask questions and create a clearer path toward the goals I want to pursue.

How do you hope your work will contribute to the future of language education?

I hope my work contributes to a language education landscape where diversity means more than representation on a page. Through research, open educational resources, classroom instruction and bilingual literature, I want to help create materials that better reflect the complexity of the communities they serve. For Spanish education, that means recognizing that there is no single way to speak Spanish or experience the Spanish-speaking world. Indigenous languages, regional varieties, heritage speakers and multilingual identities are all part of that story. My goal is to help make those realities more visible and help students see their languages and experiences as valuable parts of their education.

Educational Experience

• M.A., Spanish Language Teaching, East Texas A&M University, 2026
• B.A., Spanish Communication Studies, Sam Houston State University, 2024

Awards and Honors

• Best Overall Presentation, Annual Research Symposium, East Texas A&M University, 2026
• Best Graduate Student Poster, College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts, Annual Research Symposium, East Texas A&M University, 2026
• Teacher of Promise, Alternative Certification Program, Dallas ISD, 2025-2026

Professional Organizations

• BookSpring (Translator) Austin, TX
• Texas Coalition for Heritage Spanish (TeCHS) Reviewer
• National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Member)

Publications

• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. La representación de lenguas indígenas en materiales para la enseñanza del español como lengua de
• herencia: Hacia una pedagogía decolonial. Master's thesis, East Texas A&M University, 2026. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. ProQuest
• Document ID 3380552552. ISBN 9798189280238.
• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. The Food We Eat | La Comida Que Comemos. Let's Leer! Language Learning Books, 2026.
• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. Changing Schools | Cambiando de Escuela. Let's Leer! Language Learning Books, 2026.
• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. My Family | Mi Familia. Let's Leer! Language Learning Books, 2026.
• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. The Sounds of My Home | Así Suena Mi Casa. Let's Leer! Language Learning Books, 2026.
• Hernández Anderson, Adrián. Two Worlds, One Voice | Dos Mundos, Una Voz. Let's Leer! Language Learning Books, 2026.