Hello! My name is Nelcy Avila, and I am a Spanish Teacher from Maryland with just over 3 years of experience in the public school system. I am a Latina with cultural heritage from Mexico and Colombia. I studied to become a World Language teacher at Salisbury University. Professors from the Department of Modern Languages, Intercultural Studies, and the Seidel School of Education instructed my learning to become a certified K-12 Spanish teacher. I was eager to deepen my knowledge of Spanish-speaking countries, so I pursued my master’s degree in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. My graduate studies focused on the history, culture, and society of people from Latin America and the Caribbean. With a heart for an interdisciplinary approach, I took courses with the department of Anthropology, Art History, and Museum Studies. During my time in Washington D.C., I interned with the Organization of American States and IN Series, a non-profit theater and opera company. Later on, I became a Spanish Teacher and the Department Chair for World Languages at Westlake High School. I taught Spanish levels 1-3, Heritage and Native Spanish Speakers, and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) 3. After school hours, I led College and Career workshops to empower students to self-advocate and apply for new opportunities. I mentored high school students to participate in service learning, summer internships, experiential projects, and jobs.