SCHOOL STAFF: INTERCULTURA

The Administration

Laura Ellington, Founding Director
Laura was born in Switzerland and then moved to England, before going to the US for university. She received her BA in English Literature with a minor in Spanish, where she specialized in Spanish as a Second Language, from Skidmore College. She first worked in Asia and the US, and then moved to Costa Rica. After working in a San José language school as an administrator, she and a colleague decided to found Intercultura. Since then, she has obtained her French superior-level certification at the Alliance Française, and is currently studying German at the Goethe Institute/Deutsches Haus. She has RSA/CELTA Teaching Certification from the University of Cambridge, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in English-Spanish translation and linguistics from the Universidad Internacional de las Américas. She has participated in numerous conferences on Second Language Acquisition in Costa Rica and abroad. At present she is completing her MA in Cultural Anthropology at the City University of New York and the Universidad de Costa Rica.

Adelita jimenez, directora

Melvin Montero, junta directiva
Melvin is a native Costa Rican who has been with the school since 1999 as managing director. Before returning to work in his home country, he lived in the US for many years, directing programs in the field of social services that concentrated on education for young people and families. He has a Masters of Educational Administration and a Masters of Theological Studies with a concentration in Counseling, and is completing coursework for his Ph.D. in Educational Administration. His area of specialty is the design of educational programs for different population profiles. Melvin also gives frequent lectures at Intercultura on International Education, Intercultural Adaptation Issues, Culture Shock, Psycho-Social Profile of the Costa Rican Family and others. He is bilingual English-Spanish.

Barbara Miller, sub Director
Barbara is originally from California, but has lived in Costa Rica since 1999. She has a double Bachelors degree in Psychology and Multicultural & Gender Studies from Chico State University in Northern California. After living and working in San Francisco, she began to look for a more adventurous and exciting job outside of the country. She received her Teaching English as a Second Language certificate, and in June of 1999 was offered a position as the English Department Director at Intercultura. She has re-designed the Dept. curriculum, and led teacher workshops, training sessions, interviews and student entrance exams. She was later given the added responsibility of Student Advisor for Foreign students, and in 2002 was again promoted to become the school-wide Director of Marketing and Student Affairs. She also co-organizes Intercultura's Cultural Events Calendar, and she runs the Spanish-English Student Interchange Program. She has participated in a number of Cambridge University and New England Language School seminars and is currently applying for her Masters in Latin-American Studies at the National University in Heredia.

Spanish Program

MARCELO ARROYO director ejecutivo
Marcelo is a Costa Rican that has worked with the school since 1994, first as a professor and now as the Spanish department head and the school's Sub-Director. He is in charge of teacher training and organizing Intercultura's ongoing professional development series. He has a BA in Literature, Linguistics and Education from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where he went on to obtain a Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. He is currently completing his PhD in linguistics, specializing in Central American Spanish dialects and Mayan and Chibcha indigenous languages. He has been a speaker at numerous conferences, nationally and internationally, and has lectured for the Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at the Universidad Nacional. He is also the author of the Intercultura Spanish textbooks. He is also in co-organizer of Intercultura's Cultural Events Calendar, and is himself a performer of National Dance and Music.

CARMEN DUQUE DE ESTRADA BERTOT
Carmen is a Cuban national who has lived in Costa Rica since 1997, working since this time as a Spanish professor with Intercultura. Prior to that, she was a professor at the University of Havana, where she taught literature and linguistics. She is also published a number of articles on her work in this field and has spoken at conferences in Cuba and Costa Rica. She is currently the Sub-Director of the Spanish Department at Intercultura, where she does teacher training and Spanish as a Second Language workshops for professors.

ALEXA SANTANA UMAÑA
Alexa is Costa Rican and has been a Spanish professor since 1989, first at the high-school level and later as Academic Director in another capital area Spanish institute, before joining Intercultura in 1996. She has a BA in Literature, Linguistics and Education from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where she also obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Literature. After completing an intensive English program in Canada, she returned to Costa Rica to obtain an MS in Education from the Universidad Latina, with emphasis in Spanish. She has lectured at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma for the Masters program in Spanish as a Second Language, and has spoken about this and related topics at various seminars, conferences and national workshops. She completed the ACTFL training in Oral Proficiency Interviewing, and in addition to teaching, she does student testing, teacher training and professional development at Intercultura.

VICTORIA FONSECA CALVO
Victoria is Costa Rican and has a BA in Literature, Linguistics and Education with emphasis in Spanish from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica. She has been teaching Spanish as a Second Language since 1992, and has participated in many workshops and conferences in this area. She also has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia. She has been with Intercultura since 1996.

ADRIANA VEGA
Adriana is Costa Rican and has worked with Intercultura since 2000. She studied Spanish Philology and Grammar at the Universidad de Costa Rica, where she received her BA. She has participated in several National Language Congresses as organizer and speaker. She is currently studying English, and completing her MA in Spanish as a Second Language.

ERIKA ROMERO ÁLVAREZ
Erica is Costa Rican and has a BA in Spanish Philology from the Universidad de Costa Rica. She has presented and participated in several National Language Congresses. She has been teaching at Intercultura since for since early 2000. She is also a member of a national folkloric dance group, where she performs in a regular basis.

LILIANA COLMENARES
Liliana is a native of Venezuela who moved to Costa Rica in 1992. She has also lived in other countries in Central American and Europe, where she learnt Italian and German, and became interested in Intercultural Communication through language and culture. She obtained her BS in Communications from the University of Guatemala, and has worked with Intercultura since 1998 as a Spanish professor. She has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Communications, with emphasis in the role of language and culture. She is also certified as a teacher of Spanish as a Second Language.

ZEYDA CHAMORRO SANDOVAL
Zeyda is originally from Nicaragua, and has worked with Intercultura since 1999. She obtained her BA in Spanish Language Education and Literature from the Universidad de Costa Rica. She has participated in many workshops in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, and was a speaker at the Language Congress organized by the Universidad de Costa Rica. She also has a Post-Graduate Certification in Spanish Philology at the same university.

VANESA CARVAJAL RODRÍGUEZ
Vanesa is Costa Rican and has been a Spanish professor at Intercultura since 1994. She has a BS in Education from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, with emphasis in Spanish. She is also certified as a teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. She has participated in numerous workshops and conferences, specializing in the Teaching of Spanish as a Second Language. In addition to teaching Spanish, she has also taught Latin Dance, and has presented both Latin and Indigenous Dance nationally.

ABRIL RETANA
Abril is a Costa Rican and has worked with Intercultura since 2000. She studied Spanish Philology at the Universidad de Costa Rica, obtaining her BA with honors in Philology and Spanish Grammar. She has presented in several national and international Conferences in the field. She is currently studying French and completing her MA in Spanish Literature at the Universidad de Costa Rica.

LAURA ZÚÑIGA
Laura is a Costa Rican and has been a professor at Intercultura since 1999. She obtained her BA in Classical Philology at the Universidad de Costa Rica, specializing in Classical Greek and Latin. She is also certified to teach Spanish as a Second Language. She has presented on Linguistics and Literature at national conferences, and also speaks English and French. She is currently completing her MA in Linguistics at the Universidad de Costa Rica.

NURIA RODRÍGUEZ VARGAS
Nuria is Costa Rican and received her BA in Spanish Literature and Linguistics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where she went on to obtain a Post-Graduate Certificate in the same field. She taught Spanish as a Second Language and also Spanish Grammar and Literature at the high-school level, before joining Intercultura in 2000.

SILVIA ELENA RUIZ BADILLA
Sylvia, a Costa Rican, studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where she obtained her BA in Spanish Education, with emphasis in Linguistics and Literature. She obtained her Post-Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Second Language from the same University. She also studied English at the Costa Rican Technical Institute. She has taught at Intercultura since 2001.

CARMENCITA MUSTELIER
Carmencita was born in Cuba, later moving to Costa Rica where she obtained her BA in Spanish Education, with emphasis in Literature and Linguistics. She has taught at Intercultura since 1999, and has taught both children's and adult classes. She has also taught Spanish at the high-school level. She is currently completing her Post-Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Second Language at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica.