Faculty Profile: Carlos Evia
A Chat with Carlos Evia
By Laura Dulaney
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of getting to know Carlos Evia, Assistant Professor of English, then run, don’t walk to his office in Shanks Hall for an encounter that will surely be as entertaining as it is enlightening. Carlos was born in Mexico, and his heritage is immediately evident in the objects decorating his office, but the true wealth of the diversity that he contributes to the English department comes from his astounding variety of interests and his varied academic background.
From Cows to Communications The road from Mexico to Virginia Tech was long and winding and full of surprises. As a child, Carlos wanted to be a veterinarian specializing in the care of large animals. This dream, however, died quickly after he visited a ranch and saw just how big the cows and horses really were. “So much bigger than on TV!” he exclaimed with wide eyes. Then he decided to be an engineer, either civil or chemical, but this plan was waylaid by a burgeoning interest in music. “I started DJ-ing part-time during high school, and I became obsessed with the recording industry.” Carlos dropped out of high school for a year to work as a DJ fulltime, and when he returned, gone were the math courses, replaced by a major in social sciences that would allow him to study communication and journalism in college. “Why journalism?” I asked. “Because I wanted to write album reviews,” he responded. And write album reviews he did. By the second semester of his freshman year, Carlos was the editor of the entertainment section of the largest newspaper in Merida, a job that many of his journalism professors coveted. For the next six years, he would write music columns and movie reviews.
But What about That Computer Degree? The path to his Master’s degree in Computers and Computer Systems began when the newspaper decided to become an internet service provider. “They needed someone who knew UNIX and spoke English, which I did, so I volunteered to help them test services and install things.” Eventually, the computer work overshadowed his writing and editing, and he decided to go back to school to pursue a degree in computers, thinking he would do web design and software documentation. After graduating, he worked for a state university as their webmaster and trainer.
That Still Doesn’t Explain… So how did Carlos get here? “Well,” he replied, “my father was a professor in a university, and I wanted to do the same but in the United States.” After a few years of IT work, Carlos decided to enroll at Texas Tech to pursue a PhD in Technical Communication and Rhetoric. While there, he got to know the Mexican American community and culture, and that interaction has largely shaped his current research interests. “The Mexican American culture has special needs regarding computers, communication, and training, particularly when dealing with the work place.” One of Carlos’s current, grant-funded projects involves developing culturally derived training materials and methods for Hispanic construction workers. Following his international interests, he also recently co-edited a book on outsourcing technical communication, and last spring his students collaborated on a project with students in Bangalore, India.
Not Just Any Monkey Finally, I felt compelled to ask Carlos about the numerous monkey items in his office. “Oh,” he replied, “that’s actually a more complicated meaning than you would imagine.” It turns out that Carlos has a long history with one particular monkey, the Russ Rutherford monkey of the furry body and plastic face, a face with holes in the mouth and nose where the monkey can insert his fingers. Carlos first encountered said monkey in 1983, when he visited Miami. On a whim, he bought the animal, and it proved such a hit back in Mexico, he bought more versions of the same monkey each time returned to the states. Eventually, collecting this particular monkey became a bit of an obsession, and Carlos was able to gather seventy-two versions before they stopped production. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Carlos will appreciate any old monkey; he won’t! He insists that he doesn’t feel any particular fondness for monkeys in general, and while he can tolerate the barrels of monkey toys that people give him, he won’t be charmed by the random stuffed simian.