Isabel Santacruz is a Kichwa woman from Otavalo, Ecuador, and activist committed to local development through public-private collaboration, with a focus on preserving the Kichwa language and promoting quality education. She earned her M.A. in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (LLL) at Syracuse University, where she also served as a Spanish Teaching Assistant and Public Relations Representative for the LLL Graduate Student Organization.
Her research interests include Latin American Studies, Indigenous knowledge, Andean knowledge, Andean Spanish and Sociolinguistics. Through her academic work, she seeks to contribute to research that respects values and strengthens cultural diversity and local contexts.