Challenge

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with learners in higher ed across very different contexts—from international students preparing for U.S. university admission to preservice teachers in Puerto Rico and Mexico—each with unique goals and challenges. The task was always the same: equip them with the academic, professional, and language skills they needed to succeed.

Action

At the Intensive English Center at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, I delivered full-time intensive English courses designed to prepare international students for the TOEFL exam and eventual admission into undergraduate and graduate programs. In Puerto Rico, I led practicum teacher training at Bayamón Central University, supervising English Education majors by reviewing lesson plans, observing classes, and providing structured feedback. I also taught linguistics courses as part of their preparation to teach English pronunciation to their own students. Additionally, I collaborated with the Nursing Program and Tutoring Center at Bayamón Central University to launch a Pronunciation Lab, helping nursing students develop English for specific purposes in healthcare settings, and I delivered business communication courses for the College of Business Administration. Through the Virtual Educator Program in Mexico, I created and facilitated teacher training modules on methodologies and global issues, including Conversation Clubs that built confidence in speaking and encouraged interactive practice.

Impact

These experiences directly advanced both student success and the success of professionals in the field. International students achieved the academic readiness needed to pursue U.S. degrees with confidence; preservice teachers strengthened their classroom readiness, instructional practice, and ability to teach English pronunciation; nursing students developed professional communication skills in English that enhanced both their clinical performance and academic outcomes; business students improved their professional communication for future workplace success; and teachers in Mexico built confidence and fluency through Conversation Clubs and expanded their methodological toolkit for addressing global issues in the classroom.