Student Testimonials
Noe Alonzo
“I think joining the MAESL program may have been one of the best decisions of my life. As a result of this choice, I have been able to travel the world and have experiences I would not of otherwise had. It has allowed me to secure a great job abroad as well as helped me made lifetime connections and friends. I highly recommend others to consider joining.”
- Noe Alonzo, teaching English in South Korea
Emi Terasaki
“As an international student, I took both face-to-face classes and online classes in America and from Japan. The faculty always showed me their understanding of my situation and supported me by being flexible; thus, I could visit them and ask questions both in person and via online whenever I needed. By taking classes, my inquiring mind was boosted. I started thinking “why” and “how” more than before. After graduating, I have worked as the head of English teacher at an elementary school in Japan. To motivate students, I sometimes conducted collaborative lessons with students from America and Mexico, whose teachers were my classmates of the MAESL program. I’m glad to see the students’ excitement while engaging in my lessons. I deeply appreciate the experiences in the MAESL program. After learning the important attitude toward students and gaining the fundamental knowledge, I keep listening to my students’ voices and move forward as a professional English teacher.”
- Emi Terasaki, teaching English in Japan
Alexina Beckley
"The MAESL program helped me further develop my language teaching skills, and it greatly helped in my transition to teaching abroad. I'm grateful for my professors who developed practical courses and assignments that prepared me for teaching in a variety of ESL contexts."
- Alexina Beckley, English Language Arts Teacher at The American School Foundation of Guadalajara
Jessica Collins
"As a person who has experienced the process of learning a new language, it became one of my main goals to become an ESL teacher and help students who come from a different country acquire the skills they would need to succeed in a foreign country. When I applied to the Master’s in ESL program at UTRGV, I knew I was embarking on the path towards achieving that goal, but I never imagined the impact the program and the professors would have on my professional career. Their knowledge and guidance played an immense role in where I am today. This unforgettable experience has inspired me to pursue a doctoral degree in the field."
-Yessica Collins, High School ESL teacher
Mayte Vega Mudy
"Making the decision to complete my MA in ESL at UTRGV was one of the best things I have done professionally. Being a part of the ESL program at UTRGV will provide you with the unique experience of being surrounded by other bilinguals in a multicultural community. It taught me a lot about the value of language learning and celebrating my heritage, and strengthened my passion for academia while creating a foundation that will shape my professional approach to teaching ESL."
-Mayte Vega Mudy, Research Assistant, Corpus Bilingüe del Valle
Adela Tamayo
"I enjoyed the master’s in English at UTRGV because the professors have real-life experience in teaching English as Second Language. I got to learn from professors who have taught ESL and learned teaching strategies that I could use while teaching kids online in China, second language learners in Composition 1301/1302 as TA for the writing department at UTRGV and as a tutor for K-12 students. I was able to expand my research skills which have helped me as a current Ph.D. student because, in many of the classes, I learned more about how to do quantitative research."
-Adela Tamayo, Ph.D. Student in Leadership Studies, Our Lady of the Lake University