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Prof. Tseng was born in Taiwan but lived in Brazil and Colombia until age ten and spent the next eight years in Panama, where she attended Junior and Senior High at an American school in the former Panama Canal Zone. She came to California in 1984 when she began her studies at UCLA. During her junior year, she studied in Madrid and traveled extensively in Europe.
Professor Tseng has been teaching Spanish at Irvine Valley College since 1991. She is the co-author of the "Instructors' Resource Kit" which accompanies the Spanish textbook Dos mundos and has presented numerous workshops on the "Natural Approach", Dos mundos, and the usage of technology in foreign language classes. In 2007-2008 Professor Tseng completed a series of graduate courses through the University of Wisconsin @ Stout and earned a certificate on E-Learning and Online Teaching. Since then, she has taken courses and workshops on online teaching to stay current.
In 2003, Professor Tseng was selected IVC's 2004 Teacher of the Year and was awarded a "Model Online Course" grant by the California Virtual Campus for the exemplary design of her Spanish 4 Online course. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Most Inspiring Professor of the Year award presented by IVC's Psi Beta Chapter, the National Honor Society in Psychology. And in 2024, Prof. Tseng was honored with the Faculty Award for Excellence at the IVC Foundation Celebrating Excellence gala.
In addition to teaching, Prof. Tseng enjoys traveling, gardening, spending time with her family and friends, volunteering at her children's school and in the community, and dining at ethnic restaurants. She breaks the stereotype of a "typical" Spanish instructor by bringing into her lectures her passion and knowledge of both of her heritages: the Hispanic and the Chinese.
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Professor Ellis teaches both Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL). She has also worked as a teacher trainer, curriculum writer, and online course designer. The art, wonder, and power of words have always guided her professional and personal pursuits.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in Spanish and English at the University of Denver, she worked concurrently on two master's degrees at Colorado State University: Spanish Language, Literature and Culture and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). During her graduate coursework, she had the opportunity to live and teach in Madrid, Spain, as a Fulbright grantee. Since that experience, she has returned to Spain as the coordinator of high school study abroad program and as a teacher trainer for new Fulbright grantees.
Professor Ellis has taught beginning level Spanish at Colorado State University, the University of Denver, and Irvine Valley College. She has also taught English as a Second Language in several intensive English programs. Her involvement in teacher training has allowed her to work with groups of teachers from several countries, both domestically and abroad.
In her free time, Professor Ellis enjoys reading, writing stories, running, and salsa dancing. For Professor Ellis, it is a sincere privilege to share her love of the Spanish language with her students at IVC.
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Education
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Prof. Lemari began teaching Spanish in 2002 in her native country, Ecuador. In 2006, she moved to San Diego, California. She obtained her master's degree in Spanish at California State University San Marcos in 2016 and taught courses at the university while completing her degree. Additionally, Prof. Lemari has taught Spanish at Palomar College, and currently, she teaches Spanish at Irvine Valley College.
Prof. Lemari enjoys helping students learn about her native language and culture using differentiated instruction because she understands that every student has different needs and challenges. She takes advantage of her personal experience as a language learner in English and Italian to remind her students that the sky is the limit. Professor Lemari has presented workshops on the use of technology tools and strategies at the World Languages Symposiums hosted by Cal State San Marcos, Palomar College, and Mira Costa College. Additionally, Prof. Lemari has completed courses on online teaching including Irvine Valley College "Pedagogy for Online Teaching" and "Online Teaching & Design" @ONE.
In her spare time, Prof. Lemari is passionate about exploring new cities in the United States and other countries. She enjoys making connections and learning from people of different backgrounds. Also, she loves to dance Latin music. She gave salsa dance classes during several events hosted by the World Languages Department at Palomar College.
Prof. Lemari is living her dream of becoming a Spanish instructor. She is very grateful that Mark Twain's quote applies to her profession: "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
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Education
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Professor Núñez was born and raised in a small town in Sinaloa, Mexico. He moved to the United States when he was eighteen years old. His passion for teaching began at a very young age in Mexico when, at age of fifteen, he worked as a teacher at the INEA (National Institute of Adult Education), supporting adults to complete their elementary school. Recently, Prof. Núñez is completing his Ph.D. at UCI in Spanish Literature. His area of interest is the novel of sicariato with a particular focus on the sicario's sexuality. He has been teaching Spanish as a second language at the university level since 2014.
Prof. Núñez's biggest passion is traveling since he considers it as a great opportunity to learn more about other cultures and his own culture around the world. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, writing, and shopping, but his favorite hobby is dancing!
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Education
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Professor Romero was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States when she was 11 years old. After graduating from high school, she attended Fresno State where she earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Spanish. During her journey as a college student, Professor Romero took various Spanish courses that not only taught her a lot about her own culture and identity but also inspired her to become a Spanish instructor.
Professor Romero had the opportunity to begin her career as an educator at Fresno State by joining the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures as a Teaching Associate. Later, she worked as a Spanish teacher at Bullard High School in Fresno and then decided to move to Los Angeles in search of a position as a Spanish instructor.
As a professor, she enjoys supporting students during the process of learning a foreign language. She aspires to create fun and engaging lessons that motivate students to learn about her native language and other cultures and languages as well.
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Education
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Professor Rosales was born and raised in Guatemala, Central America. In 2009, she moved to the United States. In 2013, she found her passion for teaching when she was a student and a tutor at the English as a Second Language Department at Victor Valley College.
Besides teaching, she also enjoys learning about people and the diverse population in the United States. As our country strives to become more progressive by the day, the importance of learning about our similarities and differences increases as well.
Teaching a foreign language allows Professor Rosales to inculcate in her students the desire to learn about other cultures, the importance in forming their own points of view and, consequently, the necessity to be more understanding towards each other. Additionally, it provides her with an individual opportunity to instill in her students a love for education as she shares her passion for teaching and learning with them.
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Education
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Professor Alma Sura was born and raised in El Salvador and came to the United States when she was 18 years old. As a foreign high school graduate and with no English language skills, she had to practically start her education from scratch at a continuing education center. She later transferred to Sana Ana College and then to Cal State University at Fullerton to complete a Bachelor and a Master of Arts degrees in Spanish Linguistics and Literature.
She holds experience in various capacities teaching for Continuing Education with Rancho Santiago Community College District including Spanish tutoring as well as independent Spanish tutoring. Teaching has always been her passion; contributing to the student's journey towards higher education has and will continue to be one of her greatest joys in life.
She loves traveling and in her spare time she enjoys hiking and biking.
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Education
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Prof. Tamariz was born and raised in Lima, Perú. He moved to the United States in 2004 and started his fervor for the Spanish language while getting his A.A at Saddleback College, where he worked as a Spanish tutor for 4 semesters while getting his M.A. He considers himself an enthusiastic and professional Spanish instructor; he is passionate about his culture and his country. It is a wonderful experience for him to teach his language to different people. He enjoys engaging and motivating pupils to learn a foreign language by helping them to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of a different language and culture. Teaching Spanish is much more than just a job. Whether you call it a vocation, a calling or a passion, teaching Spanish requires a unique skill set that goes way beyond effective lesson planning (although, of course, that's essential, too!). Prof. Tamariz loves learning from students as well as colleagues.
Prof. Tamariz is also a singer. He leads a live salsa band and performs once in a while at private and public venues in OC.
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Education
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Professor Torres Méndez was born and raised in a small town in MichoacÁn, México. She moved with her family to California in 2002. As a first-generation student, she appreciates the encouragement given by her parents and high school teachers to pursue a college degree. She obtained her B. A. in Spanish with a minor in History from CSU Channel Islands in 2013. During her undergraduate education she worked for the California Mini-Corps Program tutoring migrant students in grades K-6. The students' eagerness to learn inspired Prof. Torres Méndez to pursue a career in education. Following that goal, she continued with graduate school at Middlebury College in Vermont and Madrid, Spain. Studying abroad and experiencing a different culture and other world's perspectives was one of the best college experiences for Prof. Torres Méndez, and thus she always encourages her students to learn a new language and study abroad.
Currently, Prof. Torres Méndez is completing her doctoral degree in contemporary Spanish Caribbean literature at the University of California, Irvine. At this institution, she has taught for five years beginners, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses. Prof. Torres Méndez's commitment to prioritize students' learning and academic success motivates her to continue learning the best pedagogical practices that foster inclusive teaching and equity in the classroom. She is thrilled to share her passion for teaching and learning with her students at IVC!
In her spare time, Prof. Torres Méndez enjoys spending time with friends and family, painting, and gardening.
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Professor Velázquez was born and raised in Southern California. Her parents migrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, to California to provide better opportunities for their family. Professor Velázquez is first generation Mexican-American and the first in her family to go to college. She began her college journey at Saddleback College where she found the support that would encourage her to pursue a degree in Education.
She completed both her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Spanish at California State University, Fullerton, where she was also the Commencement Speaker for her graduating class in 2019. During her time at CSU Fullerton, she was a Research Assistant for Dr. Mallorquí-Ruscalleda and collaborated in translation projects, while also teaching Spanish courses at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Upon completing her M.A., she returned to Saddleback College, only this time, as a Spanish instructor.
Professor Velázquez is thrilled to be back where her college journey first began. Her journey and experiences make it easy for her to relate to many students at both Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College. She hopes to provide students with the support and guidance needed to further their education, just as her mentors (now colleagues) once did for her.
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