HOME LANGUAGES
HIGHER EDUCATION
Multidisciplinary Symposium on
University of Aruba / 19 & 20 September 2018
Program Leadership and
Coordination
Program Leader
Spanish Language Immersion in Barcelona
In the summer of 2024, I led a group of U.S. high school students on an immersive month-long experience in Barcelona. In addition to classroom language instruction, every day students would be taken to sites of historical or cultural interest and prompted to practice their Spanish in real-life settings by engaging with locals. They also took part in hands-on cultural workshops such as learning to cook tapas or dance flamenco.
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As Program Leader I was also charged with "documenting" the trip (photos and videos) for use in social media posts. ​This two-minute video is a sample of one week in the program. Video was edited by me using Camtasia.
All photos and video clips are my own.
Program Coordinator
Academic Foundation Year
University of Aruba
Every year, about 100 secondary school students from Aruba (average ages 16 - 21) join the Academic Foundation Year (AFY), an innovative one-year interdisciplinary program at the University of Aruba, designed to provide them with the tools and skills they need to succeed as they transition to higher education. The program addresses four areas: 1) language skills; 2) personal development; 3) study program and career choice; and 4) academic success skills.
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I was a language instructor in the program for 7 years (2016- 2023); for the last two years, I also served as Program Coordinator.
Conference Organizer -
Home Languages &
Higher Education
International Conference
I was a presenter and member of the organizing committee for this international conference which took place at the University of Aruba in 2018. We hosted speakers from Wales, Canada, Puerto Rico, Belgium and the Dutch Caribbean, to engage in discussions over the issue of multilingual practices at universities in our respective countries.
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The entire website was set up by me using WIX; you can view it here.
Coordinator and
Program Leader -
UA Language Center -
Papiamento Language and Aruban Culture Course
One of the objectives of the University of Aruba Language Center is to provide international students with an introduction to the local culture and language (Papiamento). Field trips and excursions included natural sites such as Arikok National Park, as well the communities of Rancho and Sint Nicolaas, where students interacted with local artists, historians, conservationists and other local leaders. The Language Center also made arrangements for these students to participate actively in Aruban cultural events and holidays, among other things, experiencing the local food and music.
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All photos and videos are my own.
Conference Organizer -
"Islands in Between" Conference on the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Caribbean
in 2018, I was a member of the organizing committee for the annual conference on the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Caribbean (also known as the "Islands in Between" Conference), held at the University of Aruba. It was originally scheduled to take place at the University of Puerto Rico, but needed a last-minute change of venue due to the still-ongoing recovery process of the island in the aftermath of hurricane Maria.
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This conference is jointly sponsored by the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of the Virgin Islands, the University of Aruba, and the University of the West Indies.
We welcomed presenters from all corners of the region, including Guyana, as well as Caribbean scholars in North America and Europe.