Research Scientist, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy
Dr. Hazel Vega Quesada is a Research Scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She is a former teacher of English as a foreign language and has worked on teacher preparation in the United States and Costa Rica and in professional development for government initiatives. Her research explores (1) professional learning for teachers serving multilingual learners, (2) teacher identity construction, and (3) multilingual family engagement. Her work uses participatory, design-based, and qualitative research methodologies. Her research has been published in journals such as Linguistics and Education, the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Bilingual Research Journal and edited volumes. At Duke, she contributes to two research projects: Building Bridges through Stories and Critical In-Depth Reading and Wellbeing (CIDR)
Dr. Vega Quesada received her Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Clemson University and her M.A. in Second Languages and Cultures from Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and cat, traveling, dancing, exercising, and having coffee with family and friends.