Suzanne Grasso

Background

About Suzanne Grasso

I am a researcher and recent PhD graduate from Monash University. My PhD thesis investigated the advice that early childhood professionals provide culturally diverse families who hope to raise their children in their heritage languages. I drew inspiration from my work as an interpreter and translator working with the Spanish speaking community in Australia. I am currently undertaking a research fellowship at Melbourne University to create language and communication training resources for international medical graduates. My research interests include intercultural communication, multilingualism, heritage language maintenance, language education and policy in the areas of arts and culture. Research projects that I have collaborated on to date with Monash University include the evaluation of inclusivity and wellbeing spaces in academic libraries, the use of translanguaging in the classroom, the impact of intercultural partnerships on social cohesion in Australia, and curriculum design of a regional interpreting and translation skillset program. I have also worked in the humanitarian sector, undertaking coding, analysis and reporting for the Global Migration Lab at Australia Red Cross. I am also proud to have been selected for an Arts Research internship during my PhD where I worked on grant writing, reporting, policy, content creation and a Reconciliation Action Plan at The Boîte, a multicultural music organisation supporting and promoting culturally diverse artists.