My desire to teach Spanish has grown out of a great love for the language and the people of Latin America.  My love for the Spanish language started as a strong interest after my first trip to Mexico in high school and quickly grew into a passion.  Only recently did it dawn on me that I could use that passion to teach others.  It excites me to open students' eyes to the beautiful cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.

My method of learning Spanish was different than most of my students.  I did not start with any formal classroom training, but learned Spanish through immersion in northern Mexico with friends, and later with my husband and his family in Mexico City.  This greatly influences how I teach.  My students are exposed to Spanish in an immersion environment and grammar is discovered in context, not taught.  Culture day is EVERY day in my classroom.  We use authentic stories, objects, photos, videos, commercials, songs, cartoons, blogs and even tweets from all over the world to learn Spanish and to see and feel the real culture right here in Nebraska.

Much later, as I worked on my Bachelor's degree at UNL and the TEC de Monterrey in Mexico, I was able to refine my academic Spanish through high-level courses.  During this time I also worked as a medical interpreter which sharpened my technical vocabulary and gave me the professional interpretation experience that I needed as I headed out into the world of work.  My learning did not stop when I graduated however.  My career pushed me to know more and more as I worked in an international corporation with clients and co-workers from all parts of the Spanish-speaking world.  Even now, I continue to learn Spanish every day because my students are the ones who are constantly pushing me to know more, and the passion for Spanish that started so long ago will not allow me to do anything else!

Professional Experience