Graduate Certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education

Passionate about teaching and learning

Dr. Carla Burns has worked in the field of education for almost two decades and she continues to be passionate about teaching and learning. Although her doctoral research focused on Latin American colonial and transatlantic studies with a concentration on religious women and their role in society, she has now returned to the classroom, as a student, to learn and explore the key issues in heritage language education and receive training in critical pedagogy and social justice to better serve her students.

Teacher who loves to be a student

Monica loves to teach, but she also loves to learn. She has been a teacher for 23 years, 19 of them in Prince William County Schools. She loves being challenged by her students and hopes that by challenging herself as a student she can serve them better.

Interested in Spanish within the United States

Emily's research interests are in the fields of sociolinguistics, education and language policy. She is committed to reconceptualizing Spanish as a domestic language in the United States.

Interested in how education and language interconnect with Latinxs in the US

Jackelyn is interested in how education and language policies in the United States identify and position Latinxs in public schools, and how that affects Latinx students’ self-esteem and linguistic (in)security. She is committed to speaking out about language policies and practices in public schools that negatively affect BIPOC/Latinx student populations.

A trilingual editor with a commitment to education

Carolina joined the Department of Modern and Classical Languages in order to pursue an MA student in Foreign Languages with a dual concentration in Spanish and French, as well as our new Graduate Certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education. 

Doctoral student from American University studies sociolinguistics of Spanish at Mason

Teo Valdés is a student in American University’s online EdD program who lives in Chattanooga, TN. His research focuses on heritage Spanish education. When Teo heard about MCL's course on the sociolinguistics of Spanish in the US, he knew it was just what he was looking for to support his research goals and personal development as an educator.