Renata Keller
Assistant Professor of International Relations, Lover of Board Games and Card Games, Author of Mexico’s Cold War: Cuba, the United States, and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution
“What are you most proud of?”
“My book just came out last year, my first book. So I’m really proud of that and getting to see it finished. It’s about the Cold War in Mexico and Mexican-US relations.
I grew up an hour and a half from the Mexican border, and I learned Spanish pretty early on. I was always interested in Mexico. When I was looking for places to study abroad in college, I wanted to use my Spanish skills but I didn’t want to go to Spain because that’s where everyone goes. So I studied abroad in Chile and loved it, and wanted to go back as soon as possible and see more of Latin America.”
“What is your favorite part about your career?”
“Probably the variety of things I get to do. I get to teach, do research, travel a lot... so every day is a little bit different and every class is a little bit different. I’m never bored. I really like the FY103 program because my classes are more specialized, they all focus on Latin America. I tend to not get a lot of freshmen in my classes, normally. I miss that and I miss getting to meet our new students and getting to know them and helping them navigate a new place. So it’s a good way to get me more involved in a wider variety of BU students.”
“What is unique about this generation of students?”
“This generation grew up on the Internet age, and I remember most of my schooling we eventually had one shared computer in my house and I was halfway through high school before we got internet. And that’s just not the case with students here, they’ve had those tools since before they can remember. So they have a different view of the world and what’s possible.”
“If you could pick a hobby and pursue that as a career, what would you pick?”
“Hmm... I think I would probably design games, if I could pick a hobby and do it for a living. I really like board games and card games.”