Why did you choose to work at UMD?
I had taken a leave of absence from my K-12 ESL teaching job and was open to new adventures. I read the job posting and knew immediately this was for me! The Lake Superior region is my family's homeland and this position afforded me the chance to come full circle.
What do you like most about your job?
LOVE the students! I was quite out-of-sorts after leaving the classroom after 19 years, but have found college students to be a delight. Students in the TEFL Certificate and AELP programs come to me from all over campus. The content they bring from their majors contributes to an interesting and diverse classroom setting. It also challenges me to learn about new fields. I'm about halfway to an honorary engineering degree at this point!
What is your research and/or teaching focus?
I started my teaching career as a social studies teacher. This paved the way for a focus on content and language acquisition simultaneously. I've always taught with a project-based model out of necessity as a multilingual teacher. Now I get to model and guide students in the art of project-based learning, student inquiry, and reflection.
Do you have any advice for students?
We all have unique gifts and talents to share with the world. One must be brave and demonstrate love for themselves first so that one can fully participate in their life and be a blessing to others. Healthy people create healthy communities.