Lisa smiles in an outdoor selfie with her pet donkey. She is wearing a blue sweatshirt

Lisa Modenos

Senior Lecturer II, UWW Interdisciplinary Studies

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As a high school dropout turned professor, Lisa is the living embodiment of a nontraditional student. Being the first member of her immigrant family to attend college made her college experiences less than smooth at times; but through perseverance, an intense love for Anthropology and social justice, along with incredible professors who inspired her and advised her, she eventually accomplished what no one in her family (including herself at times) had thought possible: she earned her PhD.

Lisa loves to teach and inspire her students and became the first UWW faculty member to be honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award here at UMass Amherst (2020-2021). Her teaching philosophy is one that emphasizes inclusiveness, openness, curiosity and humor. As a nontraditional student herself, Lisa understands the many needs and questions that many of our UWW Interdisciplinary Studies students have. Her passion has become helping other nontraditional students to navigate the often intimidating and sometimes confusing landscape of academia in order to finish what they started and earn their college degrees. In the process she aims to also inspire her students through anthropology and social justice to view the world through a more inclusive, cross-cultural, and critical lens.

Educational Background

  • B.A., Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York
  • M.A., Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Teaching Interests

Interdisciplinary studies, cultural anthropology and cross-cultural studies, social justice, identity studies, disability studies, critical theory regarding race, class and gender, ethnography, adult learning theory, first-generation college student experiences.

Personal Interests

Lisa loves word puzzles, boxing, and thanks to her mother’s recipe, patience and guidance, she is proud to say that she makes a mean baklava. She lives in Northampton with her husband, their son, dog, snake, lizard, and two adopted donkeys (who board at a nearby barn).