Catalina Villar

Catalina Villar is a Master Instructor of Spanish Language and Literature in the Department of World Languages & Cultures at Howard University's College of Arts & Sciences, where she has taught since 2017. Born in Puerto Rico, she specializes in language instruction and holds certifications as a legal interpreter for Spanish in Maryland and is recognized for Italian interpretation. Her expertise includes trauma-informed interpretation for sensitive contexts such as sexual violence and political exile.

Her academic background includes a B.A. in Spanish with an Italian minor from Haverford College (1991) and an M.Phil. in Spanish focusing on 20th-century Latin American poetry from Yale University (1994). Her interdisciplinary interests bridge literary studies, multilingual education, and specialized interpretation methodologies.