Lakeland University Japan News

News

Faculty Spotlight: Francisco Javier Naranjo-Escobar

Apr. 15, 2025

If you have taken an LUJ class in Spanish or Composition I, there's a chance you already know the man in the picture you see here. His full name is Francisco Javier Naranjo-Escobar, and he's been a part of the LUJ faculty for several years. This year, the LUJ community awarded him the inaugural 2025 David Black Teaching Excellence Award. 

With the award, and the fact that Professor Naranjo will be joining LUJ full-time as of May, we thought it was a perfect time for a Faculty Spotlight. 

Five questions are below, so please dive in and get to know LUJ's Professor of Spanish and Writing. 

So many LUJ students are trying to find the career path that works for them. When you were a university student, did you already know that you wanted to be a professor? What about when you were a child? What dream jobs did you have?

Not really. Elementary school and high school teaching had always been an option—I grew up surrounded by it. My aunts were all teachers, and they constantly warned me about the not-so-glamorous aspects of the profession. Let’s just say teaching in Chile comes with its own set of challenges. Long story short, they talked me out of it, so I explored other paths—like science. I had always liked biology and chemistry, so I thought, “Why not?” After all, when you're 18, you have no clue what you're doing.

I enrolled in a general sciences program, but that didn’t go too well. I’ve never been great with numbers (as my students know—Excel formulas aren’t exactly my strength). I started getting a series of zeroes and began to realize I might need a new direction. One of my teachers said something that stuck with me: “We should find our talents—your job is something you’ll do forever.” So, I dropped out and started preparing for college admissions again.

During that time, my mother decided we should travel to Spain. That turned out to be a great idea. I met an interpreter, and his experiences reminded me of things I’d done in high school—helping with interpreting here and there, and enjoying contact with other cultures. That’s when I decided to pursue a translation program that included interpreting training.

Chile is a bit isolated, so I wanted something truly different. Japanese and Portuguese both felt intriguing. I’d tried learning Japanese before, but back then (around 2000), it was expensive and pretty much impossible. Chile felt like a super retro version of modern-day Japan. Even Argentina next door felt like “the other side of the planet where you can discover what the Atlantic Ocean looks like...which is not cold like the Pacific.” And don’t get me started about Brazil. Brazil was like a totally different planet. It is also known as the country where the Portuguese lived because of a treaty with Spain and that had a language similar to Spanish but different.

My major was fascinating. I learned Japanese the traditional way—paper textbooks and beautiful old-school Kanji dictionaries. At first, Japanese felt like a void, like stepping into the unknown. Eventually, it started to flow, and I was invited to assist some lecturers. In Chile, we have something like tutoring scholarships, and that’s how I got into academia—without even realizing it. Looking back, it almost feels like life had already chosen that path for me.

Even as a child, I would spend afternoons teaching my cousin how to read. TV wasn’t very exciting. In those days, it was either Discovery Channel, a dubbed soap opera, an old show reminiscent of Donna Summer or Baywatch. The Simpsons were considered an adult show—so that gives you an idea of the vibe.

My professors asked me to teach Japanese–Spanish grammar, which became a passion. I got into all the nuances and intricacies: "Oh, this verb belongs to this category, so it can't be used here..." I also taught translation and English phonology. Portuguese stayed on the side as a hobby—I just love Portuguese history and food.

Eventually, life nudged me toward a lecturer role, and I had to study more. I ended up in Australia after a three-month exchange term in Spain, where I learned a powerful lesson: even if we speak the same language, culture shapes everything. That was eye-opening. The first week I thought everyone was angry, when actually it was a dialectal difference. It was really educational. Also, I made some really good friends and could meet people from Moldova, Romania, and other places I had always been curious about.

Australia was shocking—I’d come from a random university in Chile and suddenly found myself at a well-regarded school. It was terrifying. The professors were huge names in the field, and I felt like a complete moron. However, that experience taught me something invaluable: don’t give up, don’t compare yourself to others, find mentors, and be kind to others and yourself.

My mentor there was my academic writing teacher. She was an incredible person who taught me that qualifications are just tools—we are who we are because we exist, not because of what we do. That’s something I try to remember in my own teaching—I don’t always get it right, but I believe in it deeply. Students are human beings first, with needs and stories. There’s no such thing as someone who “can’t be taught.” Teaching is about transmitting knowledge through emotional connection. Our experiences shape how we perceive the world.

She eventually took me on as her research assistant. Funnily enough, the person sitting next to me at work turned out to be a big name in the field. That was humbling. I try to recreate that model now—learn by doing, and help others grow.

Here we are in 2025. How do you think education has changed in the last 25 years? Has the way students think fundamentally changed? Or are there some aspects of learning that remain the same?

Education is more than knowledge—it’s about shaping the kind of human being someone becomes. Most of the changes I’ve seen reflect how different my education in Chile was compared to places like Australia, Spain, England, and Japan.

Back then, education was mostly seen as a means to an end—you needed a degree to be something, not to be someone. My mindset changed when I started working with underprivileged kids in Chile. I realized you can transform lives not just by delivering content, but by showing care, empathy, and guidance.

Today, I think we’re in a better place to connect with our human side. Yes, qualifications and standards matter—society needs structure. But we also need connection. We’re social beings, and without empathy, care, and respect, education becomes hollow.

Professors can't always teach. They'd pass out or have short lives. What do you do to unwind when you have some free time, or between terms? Do you have a current research project?

I like staying active—I’m not great at sitting still. My hobbies are photography, traveling, and learning Portuguese (been at it since college). I also collect ties! I love reading and spend hours in cozy cafés. The atmosphere matters—I prefer warm, quiet places.

On a side note, I retook Russian this year (tried back in 2003 while in high school, and although I managed to learn the alphabet, getting a book that could explain the grammar was not easy...but I did get a penpal! We are still in touch). If you can become friends with someone from a totally different culture, do it! We all perceive the world differently. Would you believe me if I told you that the sky in Chile is a darker blue than in Japan? Also, sunsets are magenta-ish.

I believe languages are the key to people’s hearts and minds. When we learn a new language, we gain access to another worldview. In photography, I’m drawn to landscapes and neon lights. I also like brutalist architecture—this may be due to Chile's communist past. The time I visited Moscow, it looked familiar. Traveling is another love—I don’t just visit places, I try to live them. Our last trip was to Portugal, where we explored coffee shops in Porto and Braga. Again, if you can see the world, do it!

Regarding research, with [LUJ Director of Enrollment] Jessica McDonald, we have been working on a project that focuses on student welfare. Since we need to collect data soon, you will all be hearing about all this soon!

Other research has focused on curriculum and English education. If anyone is interested in this topic, I would be more than happy to have a chat! 

For the aspiring Spanish learners out there—you’re well known for bringing the joys of the language to LUJ. What’s a major difference between Spanish and English in your opinion?

A lot of the differences are cultural, and they can cause misunderstandings. Spanish often uses double negatives—like no dije nada (literally ‘I didn’t say nothing’)—and we’re generally more expressive about emotions, especially frustration or sadness. While Chileans are a bit more reserved compared to other Spanish speakers, our humor can still be pretty dark. That’s just part of the linguistic landscape.

One random question… Where would you love to retire and why?

That’s a fun one. Last year, I officially became a Japanese citizen, and Japan is truly my home. I’m deeply grateful for everything this country has given me. That said, I’d love to retire in Portugal—Queluz in particular. The atmosphere there reminds me of my childhood: a soft, pastel-colored city with a slow pace of life, traditional coffee shops, and little pasta biscuits (which are kind of like those Danish cookies in the blue tins). It’s peaceful and nostalgic—just the right kind of slow for a retirement dream. Chile has changed too much.

Follow LUJ on Instagram