Faculty Focus features GUARIONEX SALIVIA

For Dr. Guarionex Salivia, the family business is teaching.

“My mom is a high school teacher, my father was a university professor and most of my uncles have taught at university level,” Salivia said. “My grandfather was a medical doctor and he was also a teacher. I have a brother who is finishing a doctorate who will be a professor, and two of my brothers are elementary schoolteachers. Everyone in my family is a teacher!”

Becoming a university professor was a natural result of growing up around so many academics, but his love for teaching goes deeper than tradition.


“Standing in front of all those people and having them somehow learn something from me; that is really exciting.”
– Guarionex Salivia


“Standing in front of all those people and having them somehow learn something from me; that is really exciting,” Salivia said. “That’s why I love teaching. Even if it’s only 10 percent of the students that get something out of the class. That’s what motivates me.”

Outside of school, Dr. Salivia likes to mountain climb, cross-country ski and catch up on the many Netflix series he has started. He also loves to play soccer.

“I used to play soccer in college so I’ve been trying to stay in shape for when the next opportunity arises,” Salivia said. “I try to connect with the students as much as I can, and in the context of sports, it would be nice to connect with a group of students that play soccer and would be open to involving faculty.”

Dr. Salivia is on the brink of getting his tenure promotion. He is excited to continue expanding his research and teaching spectrum at Minnesota State, Mankato.


Find out what his spirit animal is and why plus more in 10 questions with Guarionex Salivia.

  1. What is your favorite music? I listen to anything from Spanish rock to reggae. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Bob Marley.
  2. Where is your hometown? I’m from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  3. What is your favorite movie? Star Wars, but only the original trilogy. Not the prequels and not the enhanced versions. I read recently that Disney is going to release the original untampered with trilogy, and I cannot wait until that happens so I can get my hands on it.
  4. What is your spirit animal? The dragon. I was born in 1976, which is the year of the dragon in the Chinese calendar.
  5. What word best describes you? I like to think of myself as a highly collaborative person. I don’t know if that’s how people perceive me, but that’s how I would like to be perceived. I do my best to collaborate.
  6. If you were stranded on an island, what three items would you want? If I can choose anything, then a boat. A knife, a rope and a boat.
  7. Where in the world would you like to live? There is this one town I visited in the northwestern part of Italy where my ancestors from my mother’s side are from called Genoa, Italy. I loved it. It’s a port-town and it’s interesting because the town is built on a hill. It’s beautiful.
  8. Do you speak any second languages? My native language is Spanish, and I also speak Italian.
  9. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time? Catch up on all my Netflix. I’m watching too much stuff and it’s hard to catch up.
  10. Do you have a hero/heroine? I look up to my father a lot because he was also a university professor. I think of him as a figure to emulate. I rely a lot on my wife, not just for support, but also because we compliment each other. It’s not about heroics, it’s about life experiences.

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