Dr. Paola Pilonieta attended the University of Miami for her entire educational career. She received her B.A. in elementary education and French, her Master’s in reading and learning disabilities, and her Ph.D . in reading education. Along the way, Paola also taught first grade for five years in an urban Catholic School in Miami. Currently she is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has been there for three years and teaches reading methods classes focusing on emergent literacy. Dr. Pilonieta's research agenda focuses on emergent and early literacy, multicultural education - specifically English Language Learners, and teacher education.