A friend of mine recently asked me what it means to be bilingual. Bilingualism, simply put, is the ability to speak two languages fluently. But what does it really mean to be at the crossroads of two very distinct cultures and embody both, simultaneously, in spirit?

Pablo Zavala, a chancellor’s fellow and instructor in the romance languages and literatures department, surely knows what it means to be truly bilingual. Born on the border of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, he grew up in the intersection of Mexican and American cultures. “In terms of what constitutes me,” he said, “this is a big part of my identity.”

Graduate student Pablo Zavala grew up on the border between the United States and Mexico. Zavala is the recipient of the 2014 Eva Sichel Memorial Essay Prize and currently teaches Spanish 308 Advanced Reading and Writing.

Not only has it made him more tolerant and understanding as a person, but it has ingrained in him a love for discovering various cultures. He notices that Latin American immigrants often face problems with acceptance at multiple levels coming into the United States and is thankful that he has always felt as much a part of the American culture as part of Mexican traditions. To him, “it is a benefit, overall, to have both languages, both cultures.”

That he is a deep thinker is evident from the way he describes the influence of literature, especially Mexican literature, in his life. Since he is a rather avid reader, one would probably expect him to mention many names when asked about his favorite Hispanic novel. Instead, he lists only one: Juan Rulfo’s “Pedro Paramo,” a story of a man searching for his heritage and finding instead a Mexican village populated by ghosts. He expounded on its succinctness and clarity, which echo many of his own beliefs about returning to one’s roots and discovering one’s identity. “In literature, where you’re from shapes a lot of your interests,” he opined.

To my surprise, he insisted that he performed poorly in high school and only found his affinity for government, history and philosophy at college. The most important thing that philosophy has taught him is “to think and think correctly and quickly,” a motto that led him to study Mexican literature of the 20th century, as well as cultural studies of sociopolitical aspects of Mexico. While Zavala may make philosophical jargon such as “conceptual and empirical analyses” sound like casual, everyday terms, do not mistake him for an armchair philosopher: his passion for philosophy and literature won him the Eva Sichel Memorial Essay Prize in 2014 for the best essay written during the preceding year. He had theorized about the cultural production of femicides, the killing of women linked to their femininity, in his hometown, and he is excited for the upcoming publication of another article that explores the topic further.

When I asked him why he came to Washington University, his answers spilled out quickly and confidently: “Everyone has a very good reason to want to be here,” he said. “Professors are excellent researchers, and my advisor is the best.” He feels a strong sense of community, not only on campus, but also in the general area, and he enjoys living in the Delmar Loop. And of course, he loves teaching at the University (he currently teaches Spanish 308 Advanced Reading and Writing). “It’s so easy to teach, because the students are very motivated and usually the best at what they do,” he gushed. “I can rest assured that I’m probably getting the best opinions when interacting with the students.”

Although he feels that Wash.U. does not have a large Hispanic population, the St. Louis community certainly does. From facilitating “mesas de conversaciones” (conversation tables organized by the Association of Latin American Students) to participating in various Ayotzinapa-related events led by the Latino Graduate Student Alliance, Zavala has ingrained himself in the Hispanic community around him. “It is great that there is a representation of Hispanic students at school, and it is great that they have been very active. It is very important to bring these issues to light and make others aware about them too,” he added.

Despite this love of community and knowledge at Wash. U., he still recognizes the faults in the University that limit students and staff from realizing their full potential. “Faculty are the main thing that drives the University—that’s why everyone comes here. So they need to be treated better, and graduate students also need to be treated better!” he exclaimed. “In Spanish, we have a very bad basement—it’s in bad shape! The humanities and romance languages and literatures—they need to be treated better.”

Zavala speaks fondly of his many friends from the English department, with whom he often plays basketball. His academic interests are only a part of his versatile nature and eccentric personality. “I like to play the guitar,” he mused. “I ride the motorcycle. I don’t have a car, so I can’t do groceries on my motorcycle, but I like to just ride around. I have a little dog—I spend time with her, take care of her. We go out for walks. I also like to go to the movies with my friends, some of whom are also in the chancellor’s program. During December, we play Frisbee.”

When it comes down to it, he loves his culture in every respect: “it may be a little cheesy,” but he loves enchiladas, his favorite music group is the Mexican rock band Jaguares, and his favorite word is “chido,” a Mexican colloquialism for “cool.” If anyone were to embody Zavala’s favorite word, it would be him.