Faculty Profiles

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Dr. Luz Alba Murillo Benjumea

  • Associate Professor - Curriculum And Instruction
Portrait of Dr. Luz Alba Murillo Benjumea

Biography and education

Luz A. Murillo (Ph.D., University of Arizona) is an Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Texas State University. She has previously held positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia; the University of Texas Pan American; and la Universidad de las Américas in Cholula, Puebla-Mexico.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Murillo Benjumea, Luz Alba (Principal). Documenting diversity in local schools: Transforming field experience into professional knowledge, Faculty Mini-grant, Center for Civic Engagement, University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, $650. (Funded: 2006). Grant.
  • Murillo Benjumea, Luz Alba. Understanding cultural and linguistic practices in the schooling of indigenous immigrants from Guatemala, International Research Travel Grant, Institutional (Higher Ed), $2000. (Submitted: November 2016, Funded: May 2017 - June 2017). Grant.
  • Murillo Benjumea, Luz Alba. Understanding cultural and linguistic practices in the schooling of indigenous immigrants from Guatemala, Illinois International Programs IIP International Research Travel Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, $2000. (Funded: 2016 - 2017). Grant.
  • Murillo Benjumea, Luz Alba (Co-Principal). The Chancellor’s Public Engagement Student Fellow Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Institutional (Higher Ed), $1500. (Submitted: August 2016). Grant.
  • Murillo Benjumea, Luz Alba (Principal). Faculty Research Travel Award, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies, Institutional (Higher Ed), $1800. (Submitted: January 22, 2016, Funded: February 17, 2016 - January 10, 2017). Grant.
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  • Murillo Benjumea, L. A. (2023). “Aman tanto a mi hija que hasta vienen a verla a mi casa” Teaching and learning from home visits with emergent bilingual families. The Bilingual Review, 35(2). Retrieved from https://bilingualreviewjournal.org/index.php/br/announcement/view/8
  • Smith, P. H., & Murillo Benjumea, L. A. (2021). Funds of linguistic knowledge en prácticas transnacionales to promote biliteracy development. In Bilingualism and Bilingual Education: Conceptos Fundamentales (pp. 51–61). NY, USA: Peter Lang.
  • Murillo Benjumea, L. A. (2024). Emergent bilinguals love reading... if we let them. Journal of Latinos and Education. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2024.2434548
  • Murillo Benjumea, L. A. (2022). Rethinking multiliteracies: Toward a radical vision for multilingualism. In 4th edition of the International Encyclopedia of Education (pp. 138–147). Elsevier & Risk Business Analytics Alderman Drive Alpharetta, GA 30005, USA, United Sates: Elsevier. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.07123-2
  • Murillo Benjumea, L. A. (2021). “Your Children Are Having Too Much Fun”: Teaching Literacy With Radical Hope. In Childhoods in More Just Worlds. An International Handbook (pp. 155–174). Gorham, Maine, United States: Myers Education Press.
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  • Award / Honor Recipient: Diversity Scholar Award, National Council of Teachers of English Research Assembly, Tuscaloosa, AL. February 2012
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Research Award, College of Education, The University of Texas Pan American. December 10, 2010
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Early Scholar of Color Award, Ethnicity, Race and Multilingualism Committee, National Reading Conference, Albuquerque, NM. December 4, 2009
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Provost’s Award for International Studies, University of Texas Pan American. November 18, 2009
  • Award / Honor Recipient: ASPIRE Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Texas at Brownsville. May 17, 2007
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  1. Reviewer / Referee

    University of Colorado Denver

  2. Chair

    Texas State University Scholarships BOSS

  3. Member

    Academic Governance Committee

  4. Chair

    Chair of the Department Scholarship Committee,

  5. Reviewer / Referee

    World Education Research Association

  6. Other

    Plum Creek Elementary School

  7. View all activities