It's 9 a.m. on the Friday before spring break and seats for late students are hard to come by in Ana Perches' Spanish-American theater class.
Students lean forward in their chairs, watching Perches as she moves about the room. The students laugh with Perches as she makes faces throughout her discussion.
"I get very excited about what I teach, and I don't hide it," said Perches, a senior lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese.
Perches has a two-fold job when she teaches her upper-division Spanish literature class.
Not only does she have to teach her students about the literary value of Spanish-American theater, but she also has to teach the non-native Spanish speakers how to improve their Spanish language skills.
Beyond the basics of using nonverbal communication to aid her students' understanding, Perches uses another tool to connect with them: passion.
Anita Coronado, a senior majoring in Spanish, said Perches' animated approach keeps her awake and interested.
"She feels so passionate; you can't help but feel passionate, too," Coronado said.
The difficulties and frustrations students go through when learning a foreign language is something Perches, who came to the United States from Chihuahau, Mexico, when she was 8, is familiar with.
Before graduating from the University of New Mexico with a doctorate in Spanish, Perches received her undergraduate degree in French.
"Learning a language is always a humbling experience," she said.
Besides closely communicating with students, Perches said it also helps that several students in her classes are native Spanish speakers.
The interaction between non-native Spanish speakers and native speakers teaches both groups of students, Perches said.
Non-native speakers learn the language through conversation while native speakers learn the difficulties associated with mastering a foreign language, she said.
"They're all here to learn."
And they learn more than just language when they leave her classroom, they also learn how to re-evaluate generalizations in Chicano literature.
By understanding the complexities of the literature, Perches said students can better understand themselves and the world around them.
"You try to make it real for them. They identify with it," she said.
For one class activity, Perches asked the students to act out the lives of historical figures.
Dressed in a multicolored habit and with prayer beads in hand, Consuelo Aguilar smiled and laughed as she acted out the role of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz in a play written by Perches.
Aguilar, a Mexican American studies senior and student in Perches' Spanish-American theater class, said she believes learning about de la Cruz in such a manner helps her more fully understand history.
When Aguilar dons the habit to take on the role of de la Cruz, Perches said she hopes Aguilar and other students draw connections to their own life.
The thirst for knowledge that de la Cruz symbolizes is a lesson that Perches said she hopes students will never forget.
"You're going to feel good about knowing it. It's going to enrich you," Perches said.
Malcolm Compitello, the head of the department of Spanish and Portuguese, said Perches is one of the most respected teachers in the department.
"She's always been an inspiration to all the students who study with her," he said.
Perches won the Five Star Faculty Award in 1997, an award students give to professors.
Coronado said graduating seniors often thank Perches at the department's commencement ceremony.
Aguilar said that Perches is one of the best instructors on campus.