Betina Wilkinson of Louisiana State University joined Zócalo for a conference on race and immigration, discussing her field work talking to recent immigrants to New Orleans. Below, she tells us a little more about herself.

Q. What music have you listened to today?

A. I listened to Gloria Estefan, Bob Marley, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald. A bit of everything.

Q. What is your favorite word?

A. Sublime. I like how it sounds. And I like the band too.

Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A. Veterinarian. I liked animals a lot.

Q. What is your favorite cocktail?

A. Long Island Iced Tea.

Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?

A. China or India. I’ve always been intrigued by those two cultures.

Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?

A. A travel guide in the Amazon or somewhere else exotic.

Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?

A. I’m an immigrant — I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I came to the U.S. when I was six. My fondest and hardest memory would be coming to the U.S., and the plane ride. I learned my first word in English—it was ‘rabbit.’ I remember being on the airplane and my mom saying, “We’re going to learn some English now.”

Q. What is your most prized material possession?

A. My Blackberry. It’s very practical. I cannot lose it.

Q. What promise do you make to yourself that you break the most often?

A. That I’ll be on time.

Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?

A. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To read more about Wilkinson’s panel, click here.

*Photo by Andy Levin.