Who We Are
LCLC Staff Heading link
Elizabeth Dolly Weber, Ph.D has been directing the LCLC since 2010. In addition to working with faculty and graduate students to help find the appropriate technology for each situation, her particular interest is in projects that provide opportunities for student choice, creativity, and collaboration in and beyond the classroom: mapping for language, literature,and culture classes; wikis for writing and note-taking; blogs to foster interest and engagement. She is also Language Program Director for the French Basic Language Program in the Department of French and Francophone Studies.
Marissa Cabrera (LCLC Program Assistant) (she/her) has worked in university language centers since 2020. She completed an M.A. at The University of Chicago and a B.A. at Loyola University Chicago, both in Anthropology with a linguistic concentration. Her academic interests focus on the relationship between language and social life, with topics including identity, ideology, inequality, and education. In her free time, she enjoys various arts and crafts, reading, and watching movies.
Sabra Duarte (LCLC Program Assistant) has taught Spanish at UIC since 2019. She is most interested in adult language acquisition, particularly the acquisition of different linguistic registers. Sabra is passionate about creating engaging learning environments and supporting diverse language programs. When not working, she enjoys reading and hitting the rugby pitch!
Brian Zdancewicz (LCLC Research Assistant) completed an MA in Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies in Spring 2020, and is now working on a PhD with UIC’s Department of Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies (PRLS). Brian’s ongoing dissertation work “Russophone Minor(ity) Literatures of the Soviet and Post-Soviet Period” examines authors of 20th and 21st centuries from non-Russian ethnic backgrounds who chose to write literary works in the Russian language, including but not limited to S. An-sky, Isaac Babel, Chinghiz Aitmatov, Yuri Rytkheu, Guzel Yakhina, and Alisa Ganieva. Beyond this, Brian is interested in theology, metaphysics, musicology, semantics and semiotics, comparative and historical linguistics, and experimentalism in art. Brian also spends time drawing, making music, watching American football, and listening to history podcasts.
Cheyenne Otto (LCLC Research Assistant) is an MA student in Germanic Studies. In the Fall of 2022, she completed a BA in History at UIC with an area of concentration in world history, often focused on the nuances and consequences of collisions in an interconnected and ever-changing world. Her research interests also include imperialism, gender studies, and the presentation of forms of power in media. Outside of academia, she can be found spending time drawing, playing video games, and discussing media with her friends.
Hanna Deikun (LCLC Research Assistant) is a PhD student in Polish, Russian, and Central and Eastern European Studies. She previously completed a BA in Art History at the Free University in Berlin, Germany, and an MA in History in Mexico City. Her research interests range from independent contemporary cinema and Mexican muralism to Latin American Cold War and post/decolonial studies. Her current research focuses on documentary production and artistic political activism in contemporary Ukraine. Since 2019, her activities have included curatorial work and organizing fundraising events to highlight contemporary Ukrainian underground culture and create a platform for solidarity, and dialogue about art and politics. Beyond academia, Hanna enjoys staring at Michigan lake, dancing for hours, and traveling to remote places in Mexico.
Colton Seaman (LCLC Research Assistant) is an MA student in Spanish Linguistics. His specific research interests include heritage language phonology and languages in contact. He has taught Spanish at UIC since 2023 and enjoys watching his students strengthen their confidence and ability to communicate in the language. Outside of work he frequents beaches along Lake Michigan and explores Chicago’s many neighborhoods. He’s also an avid bracelet-maker and is trying his best to pick up cross-stitch and embroidery.