Shajaira P. Lopez is the Chair and Assistant Professor of the ESL/Bilingual Education program at Aurora University. Her teaching focuses on the preparation of teachers and teacher candidates to educate English learners in ESL and bilingual education programs. Lopez’s research interests are in linguistically and culturally diverse learners and English language acquisition programs. Her current research includes a study of teachers’ perceptions on students’ use of African American English in PK-12 classrooms. Lopez is an Afro-Panamanian living in the U.S. since 1998. She worked as a public-school teacher, assistant principal, and currently also serves as an education consultant.