My name is Ramona Louise Canteras, but I go by the name Aissa. I am a graduate student at the University of Oregon’s MA Language Teaching Studies (LTS) Program. I am a Filipino, and was born and raised in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. I am fluent in both Tagalog/Filipino and English, wherein I simultaneously learned both languages since birth.  

      My language teaching journey has been a long and interesting one. While working as an early childhood teacher, I dabbled in tutoring Tagalog to school-aged children, and teaching English to Japanese students using an online platform. I also worked as an English teacher in Japan, where I taught children ages two to eight years old. Currently, I use the best of my ability to teach my two wonderful children their heritage language. To this day, I recognize my time in Japan as the best period of my teaching career, which was a huge driving force in my decision to pursue this degree. 

      I joined the program in the Fall of 2021, with the hopes of honing my skills in language curriculum and materials development, broadening my knowledge about language teaching through research, and to some degree, finding inspiration and ways to improve my own language learning skills. I am glad to say I have accomplished that, and I leave the program knowing that I can make a difference not just in my own classroom, but also in the broader scope of my field. 

      Thank you to our Master’s Project supervisor, Dr. Patricia Pashby for all your guidance since day one. I cherish every course I have taken with you, and I hope that someday, I can be a role model to my students just as you are to me. Thank you to our program director, Dr. Keli Yerian for sharing your expertise, and consistently guiding me both professionally and personally. I attribute my best work to your exemplary teaching. I am indebted for all the opportunities you have provided me throughout the program. Thank you to all my professors and all the other wonderful people I have crossed paths with over the past two years – you inspire me greatly with your work.  

      To the LTS ‘22 and ‘23 cohort, thank you for keeping me sane, and for making difficult times manageable. Thank you to my family, friends and former colleagues from all over the world for the moral support and cheering me on. Thank you to my two lovely children, Juan and Maria, for being my inspiration and being patient with my never-ending homework. I hope my work ignites your drive to dream big and work hard to find ways to make this world a better place. Finally, thank you to my husband, JR, for this privilege, and for working hard so I can pursue my goals. Thank you for your patience, and for always reminding me that I am capable of doing hard things.