College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

After graduating from CSUMB, I joined the Spanish M.A. program at SJSU. There, I learned more about Spanish linguistics, literature and Hispanic/Latin American cultures. During my last year at SJSU, I became a Spanish Teacher Associate (TA) due to my academic knowledge and my previous tutoring experience at Hartnell College. As a TA, I taught two sections of SPAN 1B (one in-person and the other online) and one section of SPAN 1A. These courses were primarily focused on Spanish learners. Undoubtedly, being a TA at SJSU confirmed my passion to be a Spanish educator.

My time at CSUMB helped me significantly to prepare for my career. First, I acquired more knowledge of Spanish linguistics and literature, which has helped me to be confident while teaching. For instance, in SPAN 395: Spanish Applied Linguistics, I learned about essential elements of Spanish linguistics such as second language acquisition, the teaching and learning of languages, pragmatics, and sociolinguistic variation. In general, the main focus was on teaching Spanish as a second language, since most of the students will be dedicated to education. Personally, this class trained me to be a Spanish professor, since the lessons, workshops, papers, and discussions related the linguistic theories of learning a second language to real-life situations. 

Then, after graduating from SJSU with a Spanish M.A. and having one year of teaching experience at this institution, as well as five years of tutoring in Spanish in Hartnell College, I applied to CSUMB and Hartnell College to become a Spanish professor. My dream became a reality. I was accepted in both academic institutions. I was returning, to CSUMB and Hartnell College, this time not as a student, but as a professor. On Fall 2022, I am teaching two sections of SPAN 340: Spanish for the Professions and one section of SPAN 350: World Languages and Cultures - Spanish. In Hartnell College, I am teaching SPAN 2S: Elementary Spanish for Spanish Speakers and SPAN 3S: Intermediate Spanish for Spanish Speakers.

So far, I continue to be in love with my profession. It is so inspiring to see students committed and motivated to learn more about the Spanish language and Spanish-speaking cultures. This is my first semester at CSUMB, but I am completely sure that I would love to teach for many years at this amazing academic institution.