Iliana Alanís, a native of South Texas, is a Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As a university faculty member, her primary focus is on engaging teacher candidates and practicing teachers in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, emphasizing the rights of young children to develop their native language and cultural identity. Before entering academia, Dr. Alanís was a bilingual teacher for second-grade students in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. She has facilitated professional development for early childhood educators in dual language settings for over two decades as a Dual Language Training Institute member and a founding Vales Por Dos Consulting Group member. Dr. Alanís is married to Bradley York. They reside in San Antonio, Texas, with their son, Diego, and their three dogs, Roxy, Lucy, and Lali.