Meet the USC Language Academy Faculty
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Deborah Detzel is the Academic Director at the Academy. Her lifelong interest in languages and cultures began with a childhood summer spent in Mexico, took her to school in Canada, then to living in remote islands of Indonesia to study unwritten languages, to return to do immigrant and refugee work in her home community, and eventually to a master’s degree in TESOL from American University in Washington, D.C. Transplanted from the East Coast, Deb has been teaching and working in administration of university intensive English programs since 1999. She has traveled to over 25 different countries and hopes to travel to many more. E-mail: detzel@usc.edu |
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Priscilla Caraveo has been teaching ESL since 2002. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chicano/Latino Studies from CSU Long Beach and her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from CSU Dominguez Hills. She has taught adult school, community college, and university level ESL courses and is especially interested in teaching English pronunciation and academic debate. In addition to teaching English, Priscilla worked for 13 years as a professional Polynesian dancer and instructor. Email: pcaraveo@usc.edu. |
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Katie FitzSimons is an alumna of the University of Southern California, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Broadcast Journalism, and a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Katie has been teaching for more than nine years, including both classroom teaching and teacher training programs in Spain, Ecuador & Ukraine. She has traveled to 56 countries on five continents, and is very interested in teacher training in the developing world. Katie enjoys teaching at the Academy because of the diversity of the students, and their dedication to learning. |
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Sonja Owen Lovelace received her BA in English literature from The Ohio State University and the M.A. in English literature and TESOL Certificate from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio . She has many years of teaching experience in both ESL and English Composition. Sonja was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, where she taught EFL in the public schools. Later, she taught English in Europe for over fifteen years, primarily in Spain . She has studied French, German, Spanish, as well as Moroccan Arabic. More recently, Sonja has taught ESL and English Composition at Concordia University and Irvine Valley College . Email: slovelac@usc.edu |
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Steve MacIssac, who is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, earned his bachelor's degree from St. Francis Xavier University and his master's degree from the University of New Brunswick. Prior to joining the faculty at USC, he taught for Tokyo-based ALC Education for four years, working as a language consultant for a variety of Fortune 500 companies. Email: macisaac@usc.edu |
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Heather Robertson has a master’s degree in Education from Cal-State L.A and an Ed.D from the USC Rossier School of Education. She has been teaching ESL since 1979, both in the US and overseas in Taiwan. She also has a wealth of administrative experience, has worked on school committees and received an award for outstanding community service. In 1990, her textbook, Bridge to College Success, was published. Her special interests in ESL include advanced writing, test preparation and public speaking. E-mail: heatherr@usc.edu |
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Priscilla Taylor is delighted to return to full-time teaching. She especially enjoys working with international students who continually surprise and inspire her by sharing their fascinating backgrounds and stories. Priscilla began her career as a teacher and teacher-trainer in the Peace Corps in Colombia, and has taught ESL and EFL in a variety of academic settings both here and abroad. In addition, a love of the theater has always been a part of her life and she has had a second career on stage and screen. She sees both language and theater as ways of communicating and sharing who we are with others. Priscilla has a B.A. in Spanish, an M.A. in Theatre Arts, and has done graduate studies in Spanish and in Linguistics. Email: pataylor@usc.edu |
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Dawn Atkinson brings more than 25 years of experience in teaching to the USC Language Academy. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, and holds a master’s degree in English with a TESOL emphasis from Chapman University. She also earned her teaching credential at UC Irvine. Dawn has traveled extensively and has lived in Germany and Colombia, as well as many places in the United States. When asked what she enjoys most about teaching at the Academy, Dawn said, “I think the faculty and staff here are the best I have encountered and the dedication of the students makes them wonderful to teach.” |
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Michael Cannon has been teaching ESL for over 15 years. He received his undergradaute degree from The Unversity of Western Ontario where he also received a TESOL certificate. Michael attended the Los Angeles Unified School District ESL Teacher Institute and completed their teacher training program, and also has a TEFL certificate from UCLA. Michael has taught English in Thailand and Mexico and has travelled through more than 20 countries. He enjoys learning about different cultures and customs from his students. Michael’s hobbies are travelling, reading, and writing. He is also a published and exhibiting fine-art photographer. E-mail: elnon@earthlink.net |
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Marisa Garcia Crocker has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Francisco State University and a Master’s Degree in TESOL from City University of New York/City College. She is the recipient of the New York City Teaching Fellows and the English Language Fellows. Before joining the Academy, Marisa worked as a marketing and advertising manager in the financial services and technology sectors. She has traveled to over 15 countries and has lived, worked, and studied abroad. Recently, Marisa taught English at Aden University and AMIDEAST (America-Mideast Educational and Training Services) in the Republic of Yemen. She is currently writing a memoir about her experience in Yemen. E-mail: garciacr@usc.edu |
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Diana C. Hiciu has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from ULBS in Romania and a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) earned at the University of Cincinnati. Diana has lived and traveled abroad, taught American Government, European Political Systems and Human Rights courses and has experience teaching in university and college academic and intensive English programs. In addition to her ESL teaching experience, Diana has worked with the United Nations and other human rights organizations. Fluent in Romanian, Diana enjoys teaching a variety of ESL courses and helping her students reach their academic and professional goals. E-mail: hiciu@usc.edu |
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