I am so thrilled to introduce you to the 2017-2018 LTS cohort!
As you will see below, we have a wonderful mix of backgrounds that all share a strong passion for teaching, learning, and exploring the world.
Alexis Busso (Oregon coast in a little town called Bandon): As an undergraduate, my focus in the International Studies department was cross cultural communication and education. This professional concentration sparked my interest in language learning and language teaching. I decided to join the LTS program because I have a huge love and passion for teaching and traveling. The LTS program will provide me with the skills and resources to teach students from a diversity of backgrounds.
Brittany Parham (born and raised in Eugene, OR) I joined LTS in order to become a resource to better support the language revitalization efforts of the Sahaptin language, an indigenous language of the Columbia River spoken in Oregon and Washington. After I graduate, I plan to aid in language teacher training programs, as well as teach and advocate for the language at the University of Oregon.
Lee Joseph Huddleston (Eugene, OR): After serving in the Peace Corps for two years in Micronesia, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. Through that experience I came to see teaching, especially teaching language, as a way of empowering others to bring about positive change in their lives and their communities through communication, the exchange of ideas and the expansion of consciousness and perspectives. I joined LTS to gain strong theoretical background knowledge and experience by collaborating with professions in my field. This Master’s degree combined with my passion for teaching will better allow me to excel in the competitive teaching market.
Logan (Bellevue WA by way of Bellingham, WA) After a fun and comfortable five years in Bellingham at Western Washington University getting my BA in Linguistics, I originally left undergrad thinking I would head straight into doctoral work in linguistics. However, after a lot of soul-searching (and a few deadlines missed on purpose) I decided to pursue my newly-discovered love of teaching. I looked at a few teacher-training MA programs, but nothing really clicked until I found the LTS program here at UO, which enabled me to explore teaching while catering to my love of language. I’m so happy and excited to be in this program with all these wonderful people that make up the cohort, the faculty, and everyone else. Big things in store for the future!
Ngan (Ngân) Ho Chi Minh City (or used-to-be Saigon), Vietnam. What attracted me to the program was that although LTS is an intensive program, it offers great flexibility in terms of the language that students are interested in teaching, choices of electives in different UO departments and many opportunities for internships so that students can gain hands-on experiences during the program.
Shayleen EagleSpeaker: Wasco is my tribe and I am from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs of Oregon. I am studying the Wasco language, Kiksht at UO as part of my LTS program. I came to the LTS program because I am really interested in linguistics and also because I have a passion for learning and teaching Indigenous languages, especially from my tribal heritage. The University of Oregon has a wonderful Northwest Indian Language Institute and they offer a lot of support for the learning and teaching of several Indigenous languages of Oregon, Washington, California and others. I would not have known about LTS if it were not for NILI and the outreach from NILI over 6 years ago when I was first introduced to their programming at Lane Community College when I found out about Chinuk Wawa language class. So I think it is really important to talk about how NILI has created this whole career path and made it possible for me and many others to study, teach and perpetuate Indigenous languages, especially because many of us may have not found another way to make it possible. I believe that learning languages in college has been a good fit for me, and there are other ways to learn, but in our modern society it is not that easy. So I’m really thankful for this part of higher education at the University of Oregon.
Yumiko Omata (Japan) The program offers me valuable opportunities such as specializing in teaching both English and Japanese and taking elective courses in East Asian linguistics and language pedagogy. Also, the possibility of gaining teaching practice at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures would give me insight into JFL/JSL teacher education.
Yuxin Cheng (China) The reason why I joined LTS is because I was volunteering at a Chinese immersion school in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then I realized that I am interested in language teaching through my volunteer experience. So, I decided to switch my undergraduate major from Accounting to Linguistics. My favorite quote is from Harvard’s first female president Drew Gilpin Faust. She said, ” Don’t park 20 blocks from your destination because you think you will never find a space. Go where you want to be and then circle back to where you have to be”.
Zach Patrick-Riley (Anchorage, Alaska): I try to live my life by the mantra “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and this program helps me do just that. I absolutely love teaching… Seeing a student’s eyes light up when they learn something new is an indescribable feeling, and I am so happy to be pursuing a degree and profession that makes me be my best possible self, and helps others achieve their dreams. Not to mention I love traveling 😉