Paola Uparela from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is the recipient of the Shaheen Award in the Humanities. Paola specializes in Transatlantic Early Modern literary and cultural studies centering on issues of gender, race, bio-politics, and visual culture; her dissertation was directed by Professor Carlos A. Jáuregui. She has published several articles, and her work has been recognized with the 2018 Victoria Urbano Essay Award, given by the Association of Gender and Sexuality Studies; and the 2019 Feministas Unidas Essay Prize, given by the MLA allied association. Paola has also won three teaching awards: the Graduate Student Union (GSU) Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Honorable Mention (2016); the GSU Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award (2017); and the Kaneb Center Outstanding Teaching Award (2018). Paola now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville, a top 10 Public School in the U.S. News and World Reports rankings.