Alumni Spotlight – Leslie

We recently asked alumna, Leslie, to tell us what she has been doing since leaving the program and to share some of her fondest memories from her time teaching in the United States.

Reflecting on her experience teaching in the U.S.

Q: Where are you from originally?
A: Originally, I am from Colombia.

Q: Where and what did you teach in the U.S.?
A: I taught at Unity Braxton Middle School in Prince William County, Virginia for two years (2019-2021).

Q: What inspired you to apply to teach in the U.S.?
A: The main reason I applied to teach in the U.S. was that I wanted to grow professionally and challenge myself.

Q: What did you enjoy most about your time teaching in the U.S.?
A: Seeing my students learn Spanish and discuss aspects of my culture was thrilling! I also enjoyed the connections I made with other Ambassador Teachers.

What life looks like now

Q: Where are you living now and what are you doing there?
A: I live in Woodbridge, Virginia. I finished my contract with Participate Learning because I got married and then had a baby. I plan to continue working as a teacher in the future. I will always be grateful for this wonderful experience that made me grow a lot professionally and as a person. Plus, coming here led me to find the loves of my life—my husband and baby.

Q: Do you have any other life updates that you would like to share with us and the Participate Learning network?
A: Thank you so much for making me part of this wonderful program. I love Participate Learning and I will be thankful forever. Best decision of my life.

Share 3-5 facts about your time teaching in the U.S. Think about favorite memories, travel experiences, special moments, accomplishments, or other things that happened during your time with the program.

• From day one of our Orientation training, I made friends from different countries and got to know other cultures. That week was one of the best in my life. We learned and enjoyed so much!
• I was surprised by all of the resources that schools offer here. There is a lot of technology to make our classes more interesting and engage students with what they like nowadays.
• I had the opportunity to travel to different cities and visit many places like New York! The best part is that I could bring my parents to visit some of them with me.
• I found love here and started a family.
• My first year was hard because I was adapting but I improved a lot and did great in the second year. My principal told me he was proud of all my improvements—and so did Participate Learning.

 

Interested in learning more about Leslie and other members of the Participate Learning Alumni family? Check out all of our Ambassador Alumni Updates here!