When I was a student in college, I had the summer of my dreams. I traveled to Belgium to be a French-speaking au pair (nanny) to an aristocratic family. I lived with the family, took care of their three young children, stayed in a chateau (castle), and traveled around Belgium and many surrounding countries in Europe. While there, I tutored Belgians eager to speak and practice English. This exciting summer abroad instilled my passion for tutoring. Thus began my teaching and tutoring journey and career.
After I graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a B.A. in Psychology and obtained my teaching license at Linfield University, I substitute taught Kindergarten through 12th grade for four years. I then ventured overseas to tutor and teach English in South Korea to students of all ages and levels. I enjoyed this experience so much that I went back to the U.S. and enrolled in a MATESL (Master's of Art in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language) program at Saint Michael's College. To complete the master's degree and fulfill my practice teaching portion of the program, I traveled to Morocco with a small group of fellow teachers. While there, I taught students of different ages and levels at a language institute and also tutored those who needed or wanted extra help. Upon my return from Morocco, I became an adjunct professor at San Diego Community College teaching beginning to advanced English language courses.
I love how my Master's degree, and all of my professional experience, empowers me to help make an impact in English Language Learners' daily lives and academic or professional careers. It is such an honor for me to see my students get excited about their progress knowing how important learning English is to them. I absolutely love helping people achieve their English learning goals and dreams.
When I am not tutoring, I am either cooking healthy meals, or walking, playing tennis, and playing games with my son. When the world is fully open again, I will also be traveling to new places and learning new languages!