About Me
I am a wanderer, an outdoor enthusiast, an adventurer, and an educator. Ever since I was a child, I knew that I would someday be a teacher. I considered many other career paths along the way, but ultimately ended up in the field of education. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I thoroughly enjoyed my four years there; I loved that there was always some kind of festival, concert, or random get-together going on. I studied special education and worked as a special ed teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District for one summer after graduating.
In Madison, I lived in a co-op with many international students, including South Koreans. They encouraged me and influenced my decision to teach English there. I worked at a co-ed public high school in Incheon, South Korea from 2008-2010. I would have stayed even longer, but I decided that I wanted to go back to school. While teaching English, I was asked so many grammatical questions that I just couldn't answer effectively. In order to be a better English teacher, I knew that I needed to be better trained.
I was lucky to stumble upon the MA TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Program at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) while searching for graduate programs. Although I wanted to stay abroad, it was financially better for me to complete the program on-campus in Minnesota where I would be able to teach and receive tuition reimbursement in exchange.
Before beginning graduate school, I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime with two of my best friends. Emily (a fellow English teacher I met in Korea), Michelle (Emily's best friend), and I bicycled across America. This three-and-a-half-month journey took us from Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, California. After living abroad for a couple of years, this trip restored my faith in the kindness and generosity of Americans. Although a large part of me wanted to be off exploring far away places, I was ready to buckle down in the good ol' Midwest for a couple of years.
In just two years, I learned so much about teaching English, the history of the English language, linguistics, and language planning and policy. I was also able to return to Korea in the summer of 2012 to teach and take a couple of courses. In the little free time I had, I continued bicycling and was a member of the SCSU Cycling Team. This opportunity allowed me to travel to some parts of the Midwest I had never been to.
My second year of graduate school was mostly spent on planning, writing, researching, rewriting, and editing my thesis. I focused on collocations dictionaries and how university ESL students and teachers use them and what they think about using them. While working on this, I also spent a lot of time job searching. Ideally, I wanted to find a position overseas that would allow me to test out a lot of the theories and methodologies I had learned about in my program.
One day, I stumbled across an advertisement for the English Language Fellow (ELF) Program and I knew it was for me. The goals of the program and all of the logistical details aligned with what I was hoping to do. I started the application process in 2012, but had to wait many months before I was interviewed. The waiting continued, but eventually, I was matched with a project in Ethiopia.
And this is where my new journey begins. In mid-September, I will depart for Haramaya University which is located in eastern Ethiopia between the towns of Harar and Dire Dawa. I will be there for 10 months teaching English courses at the university as well as helping out the Access Microscholarship Program on some Saturdays. In addition, I will be conducting some teaching training seminars and workshops. I am beyond excited for this opportunity and secretly look forward to the challenges that I am sure to face.
In Madison, I lived in a co-op with many international students, including South Koreans. They encouraged me and influenced my decision to teach English there. I worked at a co-ed public high school in Incheon, South Korea from 2008-2010. I would have stayed even longer, but I decided that I wanted to go back to school. While teaching English, I was asked so many grammatical questions that I just couldn't answer effectively. In order to be a better English teacher, I knew that I needed to be better trained.
I was lucky to stumble upon the MA TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Program at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) while searching for graduate programs. Although I wanted to stay abroad, it was financially better for me to complete the program on-campus in Minnesota where I would be able to teach and receive tuition reimbursement in exchange.
Before beginning graduate school, I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime with two of my best friends. Emily (a fellow English teacher I met in Korea), Michelle (Emily's best friend), and I bicycled across America. This three-and-a-half-month journey took us from Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, California. After living abroad for a couple of years, this trip restored my faith in the kindness and generosity of Americans. Although a large part of me wanted to be off exploring far away places, I was ready to buckle down in the good ol' Midwest for a couple of years.
In just two years, I learned so much about teaching English, the history of the English language, linguistics, and language planning and policy. I was also able to return to Korea in the summer of 2012 to teach and take a couple of courses. In the little free time I had, I continued bicycling and was a member of the SCSU Cycling Team. This opportunity allowed me to travel to some parts of the Midwest I had never been to.
My second year of graduate school was mostly spent on planning, writing, researching, rewriting, and editing my thesis. I focused on collocations dictionaries and how university ESL students and teachers use them and what they think about using them. While working on this, I also spent a lot of time job searching. Ideally, I wanted to find a position overseas that would allow me to test out a lot of the theories and methodologies I had learned about in my program.
One day, I stumbled across an advertisement for the English Language Fellow (ELF) Program and I knew it was for me. The goals of the program and all of the logistical details aligned with what I was hoping to do. I started the application process in 2012, but had to wait many months before I was interviewed. The waiting continued, but eventually, I was matched with a project in Ethiopia.
And this is where my new journey begins. In mid-September, I will depart for Haramaya University which is located in eastern Ethiopia between the towns of Harar and Dire Dawa. I will be there for 10 months teaching English courses at the university as well as helping out the Access Microscholarship Program on some Saturdays. In addition, I will be conducting some teaching training seminars and workshops. I am beyond excited for this opportunity and secretly look forward to the challenges that I am sure to face.
This website is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the English Language Fellows' own and do not represent the English Language Fellow Program and the U.S. Department of State.