Teresa Gelardo's academic journey began in Spain, earning an LL.M. in Law and a Ph.D. in Sociology. Her thesis “The Democratic Peace and the Use of Force: Liberal Discussion Related to the International Interventions” received a National Award from the Ministry of Defense. Teresa’s scholarly passion for the humanities and the arts led her to the United States to study Hispanic literature. She earned an M.A. in Hispanic Studies from Boston College and a second Ph.D. in Hispanic Language and Literature from Boston University in 2022. Her second dissertation, “A Rose Beneath the Sand,” delved into the theater of Federico García Lorca and proposed a new approach to Lorca's theater. Teresa's teaching and research firmly believe in the power of storytelling and theater as tools of peace and community building, inclusion, social transformation, and language learning. She has published in contemporary Spanish literature and the Spanish Golden Age and intertwined these topics with philosophy, literary criticism, human rights, and performing arts.