While receiving my double-major in Spanish and Political Science at Central College I lived abroad in Spain and Mexico - increasing my fluency of Spanish and deepening my knowledge of the two Spanish-speaking cultures. After graduating, I lived as a resident ESL and Life Skills teacher for refugee families just entering the United States and also traveled extensively throughout Latin America as a student of life and language. I consider myself lucky to be able to use and develop my languages at work and in the home, as the refining process of learning a language is my favorite part of being bilingual! Whether it is English or Spanish I am speaking, sharing my passion for language is an innate character of mine that propels my teaching philosophy. Learning a new language or refining one already known can open up an entire new world to a student. It not only makes one more qualified and desirable to employers, but also enables one to include oneself in the innerworkings of an entire cultural context! Traveling or living in a foreign country that speaks one's second language becomes an enriching and eye opening experience instead of being left in the dark. I love invigorating tutoring sessions with applicable life skills that engage not only the language being learned, but also the associated culture. My experience in teaching Spanish and ESL ranges from 5 year old refugee children that can neither read nor write, to young immigrant mothers with a slight grasp of English, to fluent English speakers who want to hone their Spanish speaking skills. When I am not attempting to conjugate verbs in the subjunctive tense in Spanish, one can find me running on trails, doing yoga, creating a crowd funding website for trail runners, reading about Eastern and philosophy, tending a vegetable and herb garden, riding my 1980s bike, drinking too much coffee, cooking a new recipe, and spending time with loved ones. In all I do, I aspire to inspire, create, and give gratitude. I like to live by the words of a favorite poet, Rumi, ''With Life as short as a half-taken Breath, don't plant anything but Love.''

Running, yoga, hiking, cooking delicious food, exploring Portland, pushing the limits!