Experience and academic rigor provide an important foundation for effective language teaching, but teaching and language acquisition are arts as much as they are sciences. In American education, the study of English in its many forms—from grammar and composition to philology and literature—has traditionally been known as “language arts,” a term that captures this broader dimension of language development.
Language exists for applied communication. It is a living, human means of expressing ideas, understanding others, and participating in the world. Reducing English to a collection of rules, conventions, or “tricks” misses this essential purpose and ultimately limits meaningful progress.
My academic background, professional experience across diverse industries, and natural aptitude for languages come together to give me a well-rounded perspective on communication. At Anglophonia, I bring these elements together to offer something broader than traditional English tutoring: personalized communication coaching grounded in both academic knowledge and real-world experience.
Academic
My academic path has taken me from a rural public school education in southeast Georgia to an increasingly international and interdisciplinary education. That journey has shaped my belief in curiosity, adaptability, and the value of understanding language within its broader cultural and intellectual context.
After completing a university-track education at Brantley County High School in Nahunta, Georgia, I attended Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with studies in Art History, French, and Marketing, as well as completing junior-level art history coursework at the Université de Toulouse-Le Mirail (today, Université Jean Jaurès). Concordia’s interdisciplinary and practically oriented environment encouraged me to connect culture, language, and professional skills, while Montreal’s multilingual character gave me an early appreciation for linguistic and cultural competence as part of everyday life. My semester in France introduced me to a more rigorous, research-based approach to academics while allowing me to immerse myself fully in the French language alongside native-speakers.
I later pursued graduate studies in Translation, Linguistics, Philology, and Communications at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, where I once again encountered a more traditional academic approach rooted in the intellectual traditions of the Spanish-speaking world. My studies included Spanish philology and related areas of language and literary study, giving me a deeper understanding of the historical development, structure, and cultural dimensions of language. The influence of Classical studies as transmitted through the Iberian intellectual tradition also provided an important perspective on language as a discipline with deep historical foundations rather than simply a practical system of communication.
This combination of interdisciplinary North American education and a more traditional Latin American academic environment broadened my understanding of how languages are taught, studied, and used. Two TESOL certifications have complemented this foundation with specialized preparation in English language teaching.
TESOL
My TESOL training combines rigorous teacher preparation with practical classroom experience. I completed my first TESOL program on-site in Hanoi, Vietnam, with Australia-based AVSE, undertaking 150 hours of intensive study over four weeks. The program combined face-to-face instruction with qualified TESOL educators, classroom observation, substantial written work, and critically assessed teaching practice with real students. The teaching practicums took place in local educational institutions in Hanoi, providing experience working with learners from varied backgrounds and in authentic classroom environments. An independent assessment process conducted in Australia provided an additional level of academic oversight.
I subsequently completed a 120-hour TESOL/TEFL Certificate accredited by ACCREDITAT and The CPD Certification Service. This program provided a more focused and practical complement to my earlier training, with particular emphasis on the classroom application of TESOL principles and teaching English to adult learners in both overseas and online environments.
Together, these certifications provide a combination of formal pedagogical training, supervised classroom practice, and practical teaching experience that continues to inform my approach at Anglophonia.
Professional
My professional experience spans language education, marketing, international business, communications, project management, research, and client relations—a combination that directly informs the practical, communication-focused approach at Anglophonia.
I began my career in marketing and trade show management, working as a coordinator at Guidance Software and later as a project manager for AIX – Aircraft Interiors Expo, an international industry event, and later in UBM Canon‘s trade show division as a content manager, research analyst, and coordinator. These roles gave me experience working across industries and cultures while developing the communication, research, organizational, and interpersonal skills required to operate in an international professional environment.
My first experience teaching English came in Puerto Rico, where I worked with adult learners from varied backgrounds. That experience introduced me to the rewards of helping people develop their communication skills and ultimately inspired me to pursue language teaching more seriously.
I continued developing this path through teaching and professional training in Seoul ( South Korea) and Saint Petersburg (Russia) working with financial professionals, engineers, technology professionals, executives, graduate students, and other adult learners. My teaching experience has included professional English, communication training, document and speech revision, interview and application preparation, resume clinics, and curriculum development. I’ve worked with professionals from fields including technology, finance, marketing, HR, and project management.
I have also volunteered as an IELTS tutor with the Los Angeles Public Library Adult Literacy Center, in Los Angeles, California, supporting adult learners preparing for an internationally recognized English examination. This experience further strengthened my interest in helping learners develop both practical communication skills and the academic language abilities required for further study and professional advancement.
My work as a Spanish-to-English translator further developed my sensitivity to the nuances of language, meaning, tone, and cultural context. Alongside this, my experience in business operations, accounting, insurance, and professional services has given me firsthand familiarity with the communication demands of different industries and workplaces.
Across all of these roles, communication has remained the common thread. For an Anglophonia student, this means working with someone who understands English not simply as a subject to be studied, but as a practical tool for professional, academic, and personal development. I draw on experience from both sides of the process: as a language learner and teacher, and as a professional who has spent years navigating international business and working with people from diverse backgrounds.
