Staff spotlight: Leticia Arroyo Abad

Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Assistant Professor of Economics Leticia Arroyo Abad experienced the vibrant culture of a city with 2,891,082 inhabitants.

Currently, she is enjoying a quieter environment as a professor in the Economics department at Middlebury.

It was the location of her upbringing, though, which first attracted Arroyo Abad to economics.

“Argentina is famous for defaulting on its debt almost every other year,” she said. “Growing up, there was high inflation. Argentina did not have coins as a part of its currency. When I traveled as a child, I realized that there were coins elsewhere. That caught my attention. It was this realization that made me start thinking about economics.”

Arroyo Abad pursued a degree in economics from Argentine Catholic University and, after graduating, chose to pursue a P.h.D in economics, focusing on Latin America.

First, though, she earned a degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas.

“I chose to study Latin America before seeking my P.h.D because, at my university, there was really no such thing as the liberal arts,” Arroyo Abad said. “I realized that I knew a lot about economics, but I didn’t know enough about Latin America as a whole. I wanted to diversify my knowledge before beginning my P.h.D.”

After finishing her work at the University of Kansas, Arroyo Abad moved to California to work on her P.h.D at the University of California, at Davis (UC-Davis). There, she specialized in Latin American Economic History.

While working on her P.h.D, Arroyo Abad traveled extensively around Latin America to research economic conditions.

“Traveling opens your mind,” she said. “When I left Argentina to come to the United States, I learned so much. In an academic sense, I learned about the US economy. I could compare the economy of the US to the economy of Argentina. The more places I visited, the more comparisons I could make.

Through traveling in Latin America I learned to see divergent economic outcomes between countries with similar colonial beginnings.”

Upon graduating from UC-Davis in 2009, Arroyo Abad started teaching at Middlebury.

“I feel so lucky to have ended up here,” Arroyo Abad said. “I knew that I wanted to teach smart students, and the environment here is absolutely beautiful. My colleagues here are wonderful. Also, being a professor here allows me to conduct serious research, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Her favorite part of teaching?

“Definitely not grading,” she said. “In seriousness though, I do really enjoy the moment when, as I’m explaining a difficult concept, I see the students begin to understand. The light bulbs in their heads go off.”

“I also like getting to know my students,” she continued. “Students at this school are very inquisitive, and they keep me on my toes. That’s something that’s different between here and UC-Davis. Here, students take an active part in their learning. They’re smart and they’re driven. They won’t accept mediocre answers.”

While she enjoys teaching each of her classes, Political Economy of Development, which she taught over Winter Term with Assistant Professor of Political Science Jessica Teets, has been her favorite thus far.

“It was a great experience,” Arroyo Abad said. “We will hopefully teach it again next spring.”

Her ideal course to teach, however, would be economic development of Latin America.

“I love economic history, and I hope to teach a course on it this fall,” she said.

As for a philosophy of teaching, Arroyo Abad thinks that developing one is a continual process.

“I’m constantly developing my teaching philosophy,” she said. “I want to challenge my students, and I want them to remember my course as something that made them think. Students should have to think outside of the box. I also want to get to know my students. I don’t just want to lecture at them. I think that that interaction is very important.”

Teaching is, for Arroyo Abad, a deeply rewarding experience.

“I wanted to teach because I want to make a difference. Here at Middlebury, I know I can contribute to this community,” she said. “Because I am both a minority and a woman, I feel that I have a different perspective from many people here.”

It is because of this that Arroyo Abad wants to work more closely with minority students on campus.

“I want to make more of a difference beyond the classroom. I’d love to see the Middlebury campus become more diverse.”

And as for her future, Arroyo Abad sees a continuation of the present.

“I want to be a professor forever,” she said. “I think that sometimes students forget that we professors are just human. We are doing this because we love it. We want to eliminate ignorance in our students. We’re passionate about creating individuals who are passionate about our subjects.
She continued, “I’ve tried other jobs in the past, and there’s nothing better than this. I love teaching and I love researching. This is absolutely where I want to be.”