Connecting to the Global Community

Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa is known as The Lab Coat Teacher and affectionately “Miss Dorito” by ELL students from around the world. A Top 4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year and Florida Teacher of the Year, Dorina takes her 24-year ELL/Bilingual classroom experiences and doctoral research on Emotional Intelligence and travels the globe (virtually right now!) inspiring, motivating, empowering, and elevating people with professional and personal learning that starts from within. From trainings from the heart using her YouTube Channel BELIEVE_Café, to her authentic and humorous real talk “Keyshops” on reflequity® through Emotional IntELLigence, Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa encourages all to B.E.L.I.E.V.E.! ® - Be the Educators who Lead to Inspire and Empower Via Empathy! When not wearing the many hats of an educator, Dorina dons a Stetson and works on her “Franch”, tending to her beloved special needs rescue cows, goats, chickens, ponies, mini donkeys, and barn cat named “Cool Ranch”. Find Miss Dorito on twitter @Dorina_BELIEVE or visit www.dorinasackman.com

Valentina Gonzalez’s passion and love for education is widely known and shines through in her presentations and her writing. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Yugoslavia and language learner fuels her desire to advocate for English learners and support teachers with the best research-based teaching methods.

In her 21 years with public education, Valentina served as a classroom teacher, an ESL coteacher and pull-out teacher, a district ESL facilitator, and a district professional development specialist for teachers of English learners. Through these roles she supported students and educators and coached teachers on sheltered instruction and ESL strategies.

Valentina has been asked to present at the state and national levels. She earned her Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Houston and her Master’s in Leadership and Administration from Lamar University.