Bio

Claudia Y. Heinemann-Priest is a Senior Instructor at USC Lancaster, where she has taught since 2007. A specialist in the Catawba language, she served as the linguist for the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project for nearly a decade and continues her work through the Native American Studies Center (NASC). She holds a B.A. from the University of Waterloo, an M.L.A. from Winthrop University, and an M.A. in Linguistics from USC, where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Literature.

In addition to her academic work, Prof. Priest is a Certified Master Gardener and the lead organizer for the NASC’s "Cultivating Connections" pilot program, which promotes sustainable landscape design and the preservation of native plants. She is also a dedicated hobby chicken farmer, providing fresh eggs to the USCL student pantry and student-athletes. A lifelong polyglot and outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys camping and views the study of linguistics and literature as a vital puzzle for connecting cultures.