Graduate Certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education

Passionate about teaching and learning

Dr. Carla Burns has worked in the field of education for almost two decades and she continues to be passionate about teaching and learning. Although her doctoral research focused on Latin American colonial and transatlantic studies with a concentration on religious women and their role in society, she has now returned to the classroom, as a student, to learn and explore the key issues in heritage language education and receive training in critical pedagogy and social justice to better serve her students.

Teacher who loves to be a student

Monica loves to teach, but she also loves to learn. She has been a teacher for 23 years, 19 of them in Prince William County Schools. She loves being challenged by her students and hopes that by challenging herself as a student she can serve them better.

Empowering students to embrace their heritage through language

Enedina came to MCL's graduate programs with seven years of experience teaching Spanish (PK-12), a deep passion for education, and a commitment to enhancing heritage language instruction.

Spanish instructor and advocate for innovation in language education

With a foundation built from teaching university-level courses since 2018, Niulka embarked on the MA in Foreign Languages to deepen her understanding of language pedagogy, literary theory and sociolinguistics. During her time in the department of Modern and Classical Languages , Niulka’s goals became clear: to develop into an academic who reshapes university-level Spanish education by nurturing a profound engagement with the language and its cultural narratives.

Mason graduate and aspiring bilingual educator

Kelly earned her BA in Global Affairs from Mason, concentrating in Global Governance and Latin America, while aiding as a research assistant for Chile’s New Constitution from 2022-2023. She has also interned with Latino-centered nonprofits helping with housing, translation, and social service work in the NOVA region. She hopes to continue to give back to her community as a future educator.

Interested in Spanish within the United States

Emily's research interests are in the fields of sociolinguistics, education and language policy. She is committed to reconceptualizing Spanish as a domestic language in the United States.

Interested in how education and language interconnect with Latinxs in the US

Jackelyn is interested in how education and language policies in the United States identify and position Latinxs in public schools, and how that affects Latinx students’ self-esteem and linguistic (in)security. She is committed to speaking out about language policies and practices in public schools that negatively affect BIPOC/Latinx student populations.

A trilingual editor with a commitment to education

Carolina joined the Department of Modern and Classical Languages in order to pursue an MA student in Foreign Languages with a dual concentration in Spanish and French, as well as the Graduate Certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education. 

Spanish teacher, working to enhance her school’s heritage language program

Lauren has been a language teacher with Spotsylvania County Public Schools since 2006, as an ESOL teacher for 11 years until becoming a Spanish teacher in 2017. She joined George Mason as a graduate student in Fall 2023. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Foreign Language with a concentration in Spanish, as well as the Graduate Certificate in Spanish Heritage Language Education.