Whitney Bannon

MS in Higher Education - College Teaching

Whitney creates ESL curriculum and teaches a weekly group ESL class online for Torus.  This organization provides “free English classes to anyone living in the US, especially immigrant, refugee, and low-income populations residing in the Portland (OR) Metro area.”

Whitney shares: “I work in healthcare, and I've had the opportunity to interact with people in my community who don't speak English fluently, or sometimes at all. I have seen their struggles to not only fit into a community that can sometimes be hostile, but also just trying to do things we native speakers take for granted. Scheduling a doctor's appointment, understanding medical treatments, filling a prescription, even trying to find items in a grocery store. My heart goes out to them for their situation of coming to a completely new country, as refugees of war or just trying to make a safer, better life for their children. I can't imagine how overwhelmed I would be if I were in their place. Too often I see them being looked down on for the jobs they are able to get, and their inability to speak English… frequently from persons who don't speak a second language themselves. However, our immigrant population is full of kind, hardworking, resilient people who can thrive if given the right tools. Torus is a non-profit that teaches ESL online and in the community, and a large population of their students are refugees. I love creating interesting, interactive lessons to teach functional English, and I absolutely love teaching my group class! It is such a great feeling to see my students improving and gaining confidence in their English language skills. Recently I was invited to join their Board of Directors, so I am able to help develop strategies and programs to reach a wider population. It's a wonderful organization!”