Susana Alvarez

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Italian literature in 1990. I spent my senior year in Florence, Italy with the UW exchange program, specializing in medieval literature and Dante Alighieris Divina Commedia with Professor Gino Cassagrande. During the course of my studies I discovered that I have a passion for languages, creative writing, and teaching. I also became familiar with different techniques for learning and teaching a foreign language. I was raised in a bicultural family. I am fluent in both English and Spanish, and my Italian is respectable. I returned to Venezuela after I graduated from the University and co-establish an ESL Academy in Carora, Venezuela in 1991. I was head of this organization for the next 20 years. I designed different courses, evaluated and taught over 2,000 students. These included children and adults with varying levels of proficiency. I also taught English in public and private elementary (first to sixth grade), schools in Carora, Venezuela. I returned to Madison, Wisconsin in 2010. I was a Bilingual Resource Specialist for the Madison Metropolitan School District, in Black Hawk Middle school, Lindbergh Elementary school and Leopold Elementary school, in Madison, WI from September, 2010 until June, 2012. My job description entailed supporting ELL students in and out of the classroom, translate documents and interpret for families. I have been working as Bilingual Teacher since September, 2012 for the Madison Metropolitan School District, under an emergency license, while I finish my certifications in ESL/Bilingual education and my Masters Degree in Bilingual Education. I am a 3rd Grade Bilingual Teacher in the Dual Language Immersion Program. I am also a published author and a newspaper columnist for El Caroreo, a newspaper in Carora, Venezuela. Susana E. Alvarez