Alexandra: Geneva tutor

Certified Tutor

Going to college was always something I had intended on, yet I never had a complete plan of what I wanted to do. I started out at Western Washington University for two years and transferred to Washington State University, where I attained my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. I tried many different classes to figure out what I wanted to major in, but my Spanish classes were the ones I actually enjoyed and succeeded in. I figured it was important to do something that made me happy and could also give me a future. I will be attending WSU Grad School Spring 2018 to obtain a TESL certificate.

I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain when I was a junior in high school. I went not knowing a single word of Spanish, having taken Japanese my freshman and sophomore years. By about three months after completely immersing myself into my new life, I had become fluent and little did I know, this year was what inspired me to continue my studies of the language. However, Spanish was never just a language for me, it was a culture. What I found most important was being able to practice and use the Spanish that I had learned. The different way of speaking, the grammar, and even the slang can teach one so much about a specific culture which I think is why I like it so much and what also keeps things exciting. When tutoring or teaching someone Spanish, I believe in only speaking in Spanish. It starts out sounding impossible but is incredibly rewarding when one starts to get the hang of it. Spanish grammar is very complex, yet involves certain formulas that once memorized, can help with every word at every time; vocabulary is the easy part. I also believe in confidence and positivity, because without those attributes, learning a whole new language can become very frustrating. I want any student I have to be proud of themselves and proud that they have the ability to master an extremely useful skill.

Outside of academia, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my husband and dog out at the farm where I keep my horse. I have been horse back riding for about 11 years now and have owned my own for three years. I have done hunter-jumpers and eventing, but I really just like to ride for fun. My goal in life is to be able to own a bed and breakfast in Argentina with horses on the property, hopefully near a beach. Aside from that, I enjoy fixing bikes, cooking, and I am super into my record collection. My favorites are albums from the 1960s.