Ms. Iliana Espinosa

¡Hola a todos! 

Ms Espinosa is excited to continue another year at St. Mark’s School. She pursued an academic degree outside of the U.S. and obtained a dual degree to practice in both Mexico and the U.S. She has received a B.A. in Applied Linguistics and a Licenciatura en Idiomas (License in Language Studies), from the Universidad de Las Américas Puebla, México.  Her main areas of focus are Spanish Philology and Sociolinguistics.  She also received her M.A. in Spanish Language & Literature from California State University, Northridge. 

Unbeknownst to her, Ms. Espinosa’s passion for teaching came during her later years of college where as part of her practicum she donated her time to several schools in the Mexican Education System. She then became an interpreter and after many years of working under the legal sector, Ms. Espinosa made a 180º turn and went back to teaching. Ms. Espinosa enjoys seeing the richness of generational  knowledge reflected in her students. One of her favorite quotes by Miguel de Unamuno states, “Freedom is not a state but a process; only he who knows is free and he who knows the most is freer. Only culture can give you liberty. The identity that one must provide to the people is culture.” As a language instructor and teacher to future leaders she hopes to not only peak their interest in the value of language and the culture behind it, but give them wings to think and proactively formulate their own thoughts. She hopes to immerse her students in the beauty and value of the Spanish culture and language, and in this way foster a lasting love of learning and creativity.