Krysta and Edwin Murillo have been members of the UTC faculty in 2016. Photo by Angela Foster.
Throughout their teaching journeys, Edwin and Krysta Murillo have lived by a Mark Twain quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Next year, Dr. Edwin Murillo, UTC associate professor of Spanish and director of Latin American studies, will return to his father’s homeland, Costa Rica, to lead UTC students again in a summer abroad program. In the meantime he is working on his third book, this one about Colombian existentialism. He also has a book of short stories, “Midnight Vallenato” (Floricanto Press, 2019). Vallenato means “born in the valley” and is a popular folk music genre from Colombia and the Caribbean region.
His second book, “Latin America and Existentialism” (University of Wales Press, 2023), is an intellectual history that prioritizes literature and contextualizes philosophical contributions from the 1860s to the late 1930s—the foundation of the Latin American existential canon.
Murillo (pronounced Moo-rEE-yoh in Spanish and Mur-ill-oh in English) defines existentialism as a cultural phenomenon—most recognizable in its philosophical and literary manifestations—that is concerned with human existence, its purpose and meaning. It “proposes that each person is responsible for creating (giving) value to their life. Without an Almighty God, destiny is not written. In this world, choosing and acting are essential,” he said.
Edwin and his wife, Krysta, are first-generation college graduates who came to UTC in 2016 as part of a package deal. Krysta, who recently was promoted to associate professor, teaches in the UTC School of Education and is a researcher who focuses on early childhood education, play studies, Belizean (her parents are natives) early childhood education, cultural studies, family and community partnerships, curriculum and instruction.
The Murillos met in Houston, where Edwin earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and Spanish and Hispanic cultures, respectively, at the University of Houston. They have been married 19 years and have two children: Mariana, 17, and Mia, 13.
Edwin recently returned from a one-month research trip to Colombia (his mother’s homeland) and spent time in Bogota and Medellin for his upcoming book on Colombian existentialism. As opposed to his second book, this one will be written in Spanish.
While working as a professor in the UTC Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Edwin creates “bridges to other cultures. Like Twain said, travel is deadly for prejudice. You cannot meet other people and still be prejudiced.”
UTC professors Edwin and Krysta Murillo are both first-generation college graduates and ambassadors for UTC’s study abroad programs.
Dr. Krysta Murillo has staked her own path to success.
Last year, she was named a Butterfield Fellow, which honors local educators for exemplary classroom management practices that support child and teacher education.
Krysta is a stalwart in UTC’s Upward Bound program, which serves students from low-income families who would be first-generation college graduates. It aims to help them succeed in high school so they qualify for higher education.
She was an integral part of the team that landed a federal grant through TRIO, a group of eight federal programs that help low-income, first-generation and disabled students access and succeed in higher education.
Her involvement in running a summer camp for K-12 students in math, biology and geology played a vital role in UTC’s recent landing of a National Science Foundation grant titled, “IRES: Integrating biological, geospatial, and math modeling to understand how a changing climate impacts animal social systems.”
Dr. Loren Hayes, associate department head and Guerry Professor in the UTC Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences department, worked with her in securing the grant.
“I think some of the things we’re doing with Krysta will be really exciting,” Hayes said.
Dr. Valerie Rutledge, dean of the UTC College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, lauded Krysta Murillo’s role on the board of advisors for The Association for the Study of Play, a national group that gathers each year to study the scholarship of children’s play throughout the world.
She said Krysta has “brought many unique skills and talents to her role and has contributed in a number of different ways. Her enthusiasm and experience have led her to develop new courses and new experiences.
“Using her own language skills, she has created activities that have engaged students and parents,” Rutledge continued. “Her work in the area of play and her membership in The Association for the Study of Play has given her the opportunity to expand her own students’ understanding of the importance of play as a part of the development of young children.”
Krysta, who also earned her master’s at the University of Houston, earned her doctorate at Penn State University, where she worked on the adjunct faculty at the Berks campus in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Edwin earned his doctorate in romance languages from the University of Miami.
‘What we do through our programming is create bridges to other cultures for our students in UTC,” Edwin said. “You begin to see the humanity in all of humanity when you get out of your comfort zone.”
Explained Krysta, “That first generation of college graduates is such a big deal coming from an immigrant household. To overcome some of those generational challenges to get an education, be the first in your family, is a huge hurdle. It’s a big deal.”
Both are ambassadors for UTC’s study abroad programs.
“The University has literally financially supported these students who go abroad,” Edwin said. “The majority of these kids are not Beverly Hills kids. They’re not Coral Gables (Florida) kids. They’re blue collar like we were.”
This summer, Edwin traveled to a conference in Valencia, Spain, and a weeklong research trip to Portugal—another language he is fluent in. Earlier in the year, as part of his Professional Development Leave, he visited his mother’s native Colombia.
His current, ongoing book will be a product of those research trips.
In March, he gave the keynote address at the Global Forum at Penn State University, Berks.
Titled “Latin America and Its Malcontents,” the speech focused not only on the influence of European thinkers throughout the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Americas but also examined neglected central cultural figures such as the late Fernando González, a Colombian writer and existentialist philosopher known as “el filósofo de Otraparte.”
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Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures
Edwin and Krysta Murillo have been married for 19 years.
