ESL / ESOL / Related to Languages

Molly Jacobs '25 is joining the Peace Corps and will travel to Albania in January 2026 to teach English as a second language through January 2028. 

Leonardo Montenegro '25 was awarded a teaching assistantship through North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP) and will spend the 2025-2026 academic year as a teaching assistant in Spain. With a strong interest in research and advocacy, he plans to continue becoming involved in community-based participatory research efforts that advocate for international human rights. 

Erika Blair '21 went abroad to teach English in Japan for a year following graduation. She is now pursuing a PhD in Social Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Julia Bowden '18  served in the Peace Corps as an English language co-teacher in North Macedonia for a year after graduation. She is a barista/shift supervisor at Starbucks.

Gabriela Cunha-Benjamin '18 served as an English foreign language teacher at Dara Academy in Ching Mai, Thailand for a year after graduation.  She began pursuing a MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021.

Benjamin Ertman '18 served as an English teacher with the Ameson Education and Cultural Foundation and was stationed in Jinhua City, Zhejiang, China, for a year post-graduation from SMCM. Following that experience, he spent four years as clinical research assistant/specialist at Boston Children's Hospital. He is now pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia with an expected completion in 2029.

Chikondi Kulemeka '18 served as an English language teaching assistant in Montluçon, France, in the year following graduation. She is now an executive assistant at The Complete Player Charity in the Washington, DC-Baltimore area. She is also the founder/executive director of The Desks Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving education in Malawi by providing students with desks through partnerships with local Malawian carpenters. 

Sophie Michel '18 earned a TEFL certificate from TEFL Heaven in 2018. She spent seven months as an English teacher at Mantasourn in Chumphon, Thailand. She earned a MS in Mental Health Counseling in 2022 from New York University.  

Adriane Azucena '17 is pursuing a master's degree in Research and Advances in Preventative Medicine at the University of Granada (Spain).  She is an English language teaching assistant for the Spain Ministry of Culture and Sport in Almeria, Spain.

Julia Monro '17 spent 10 months after graduation from SMCM working as a language assistant for Meddaeas (a Spanish organization with presence in five countries that provides support to bilingual teaching in educational centers, in order to improve students’ foreign language skills) in Barcelona, Spain. She is a second grade integrated co-teacher at Success Academy Charter Schools in the greater NYC area.

Mónica Claro '15 eearned a MA in International Education at The George Washington University with a graduate certificate in Incorporating International Perspectives in Education in 2019. She is a professional development delivery coordinator at International Baccalaureate in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore region. Previously, Monica served as an English second language teacher for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and an adult educator advocate for Amigos de las Americas (AMIGOS).

Cecilia Cariño '14 earned a MAT at SMCM in 2016. She is a elementary school teacher at Phyllis E. Williams Spanish  Immersion School in Prince George's County.

Leila Kurman '14 earned a MAT at SMCM in '15. In August of 2017, she began a 27-month position as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching ESL in Nicaraugua. After serving as an English teacher at Centro Educavito Coasta Ballena in Costa Rica for two years, in 2020 she transitioned to be their freelance volunteer coordinator, instructional coach and hiring manager.  She also does contract work as an alumni coordinator for TALMA a leadership development program for teachers & an English-immersion program for low-income Israeli schoolchildren; Leila gained experience as a summer teaching fellow for TALMA in 2021.

Julia Gardner '14 earned a MAT at SMCM in '15, and a MFA in Creative Writing from Saint Mary's College of California in 2021. After graduation, she spent some time abroad as freelance writer and English teacher at Busan Global Village in Busan, South Korea. She is now a social media manager for Hourly and an ajunct proffesor of writing at Saint Mary's College of California.

Ryan Plaisance '13 earned a MA in TESOL from UMBC. Previously an ESOL teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools for a decade, he is in a sales position at Friends and Family Flooring in MD. 

Sara Childerston '10 spent some time as an ESL teacher at Vietnam USA Society English Training Services Center (VUS) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She is now a server in Nashville, TN.

Trey Cole '10  moved overseas after graduation to teach English in China. He extended his stay to study Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University, earning a certificate of fluency. After teaching, learning, and eating his way across China, he transitioned into corporate management and led expansion efforts for IQAir into Western China. In 2016, Trey relocated to Colorado, where he entered SaaS and tech sales, moonlighted as a realtor, managed an Airbnb in Colorado Springs, and earned his MBA at University of Colorado (in 2020). In 2024, he returned to St. Mary's City and now works remotely as an account executive at Samsara, selling safety and efficiency solutions to physical operations businesses around the country. 

Sara Morgan Watters '10 earned an MS in Cross-Cultural Psychology from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in 2016. Before completing her Master’s degree, she worked as a TEFL English teacher in Barcelona, Spain for two years. She is now a Program Advisor for Global Experiences in Annapolis. Additionally, she founded and facilitates an exchange program for competitive international sailors.

Judy Songrady Logan '09 moved to Hungary in 2013 to study veterinary science at Szent István Egyetem - SZIE. She decided to withdraw from the program and is self-employed as a private English  tutor and veterinary anatomy tutor. She is married to Trevor Logan '09 (a bio major) who was also in the veterinary program but is now pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Charles Emerson '07 earned a MA in TESOL from UMBC in 2015. He is a teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools.

Alexandra Rizzi '07 earned a TEFL certificate in 2010, and spent some time as an ESL instructor in both Daegu, South Korea and Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. After returning stateside, Alexandra earned a MS in Education Leadership from Walden University in 2017. She is a freelance college and career advisor in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area.

Yvette Dodson '90 earned a MEd in Curriculum Theory and Development from University of Maryland in 1996. She is an ESOL Teacher for Calvert County Public Schools at Calvert High School.