"I was born and raised in the western United States in a very small town with limited career and educational opportunities. My prospects started to change in middle school when I was required take a foreign language class. I was always curious about other languages and cultures and now I had the opportunity to learn Spanish. I had a great teacher so it was easy to learn. I continued to learn Spanish throughout high school and also in college. I was slowly introduced to Latin culture and really enjoyed learning about Mexico, Spain and South America. However, despite all that I learned and earning an Associate Degree, I soon realized that I couldn’t speak Spanish fluently.

After graduating from college, I decided to immerse myself in the Mexican culture in order to learn to speak the language fluently. I started as a community volunteer, offering translating and interpreting services in medical and social service offices. I enrolled in Spanish public speaking and teaching courses in Colorado and New York and continued these courses for over 25 years.

I wanted to help others to become confident and fluent speakers and overcome the challenges that I also faced as a second language learner, so I enrolled in a TESOL class. This was a life changing experience. I learned methods of teaching and learning languages that would make achieving fluency easier and faster I have a TESOL Certificate and a second language teaching certificate in Spanish.

I continued to do volunteer work in Spanish and Italian in the USA and in other countries, in full immersion projects. I also worked teaching ESL and Spanish online and in private venues. I have found that many language learners encounter the same obstacles to fluency as I have and I have been able to help them overcome these and speak with confidence and fluency." less...