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SPANISH PROFESSORS:

Alexa Santana, Academic Development.
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.

Vanesa Carvajal.
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.

Erika Romero.
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 on a regular basis.  She studies English as a second language at Intercultura.

Nuria Rodriguez.
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 Ruiz.
Sylvia, a Costa Rican, studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where she obtained her BA with a double major in Spanish Education and Linguistics & Literature. She obtained her Post-Graduate Certificate in Spanish as a Second Language from the same University, and also studied English at the Costa Rican Technical Institute and the UNED. Silvia has a MA in Education from the National University and is currently completing a second MA in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She has taught at Intercultura since 2001, and also assists in development of materials and teacher training.



Andrés Viales.
Andres, from Costa Rica, has a BA from Universidad de Costa Rica in Spanish and Classical Philology. In addition to teaching at Intercultura, he works at the Philology Department of the University as a teaching assistant. Previously he worked as a research assistant in the areas of classic literature and mythology and as a latin tutor. He has presented and participated in multiple language conferences nationally. He is currently studying German. Andrés's MA is in Classical Literature, from the University of Costa Rica.


Mónica Molina.
Monica is Costa Rican, and studied Spanish Literature and Linguistics at the National University, where she obtained her BA and certification in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She also studied community education and taught both adults and high school students public and private institutes before joining Intercultura in 2003 as a Spanish professor. She has participated and presented in numerous academic conferences, such as the VI Congreso de Filología, Lingüística y Literatura: Víctor Manuel Arroyo, at the Universidad Nacional.

Hernán González.
Hernán is from Costa Rica and has his BA from the Universidad de Costa Rica, where he studied Sociology and Philosophy. He also did a Licenciatura in Education at the UNED, and is currently completing his Master's in Communication at the University of Costa Rica. Before teaching, he worked on social investigation projects at the university. He has taught Spanish as a Second Language since 2001, and enjoys sports and running in his free time.




Monserrat Santana.
Monserrat, a Costa Rican native, received her BA in Dance at the National University, and her BS in Education and Language Therapy at the University of Santa Paula, where she went on to do a Licenciatura in the same field. She has presented at various conferences on Language Acquisition and Speech Therapy, and is proficient in sign language. She has performed nationally with folkloric and modern dance groups, as well as giving workshops in dance and corporal expression to children from low-income areas. She has also worked with local art and theater groups from marginalized communities. In addition to teaching, she has her own Language and Voice Therapy practice, where she treats children and adults with speech, communication and language difficulties. Montserrat is currently enrolled in the National University Master's program in Education with emphasis on Teaching Spanish as a Second Language.


Ana Isabel Alfaro.
Ana Isabel, a native of Heredia, has been with Intercultura since 2005, and has been a professor of Spanish as a Second Language since 2000. She received her teaching certification in Spanish and her BA in Literature and Linguistics from the National University in Heredia, where completed her MA in Education. Ana Isabel's areas of study include Education and Globalization, and she is now enrolled in a second Master´s program in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at the National University.

Jesus Cárdenas.
Jesús grew up in San Ramón and then went on to study at the University of Costa Rica in San José, where he obtained a BA in Teaching Spanish Language and Literature and enrolled in his MA in Hispanoamerican Literature. He worked as a primary and secondary school teacher for six years, and also taught oral expression and literature in the corporate environment before joining Intercultura in 2005. His current professional development is focused on teacher-training for Spanish literature, and curriculum design and evaluation. He was the organizer of the Bandeco Anual Student Cultural Festival for several years, and also worked in the theatre as a director. In his free time he enjoys modern dance, yoga, swimming, reading and attending concerts, art exhibits and other cultural events.

Samuel Barrera.
Samuel is originally from Lima, Perú, but has lived in Costa Rica since 2000. He has a BA in Educational Science from the Costa Rican National University, and is now completing his MA in Education at the National University, with emphasis in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. He studied Teaching English and Spanish as a Second language in Lima, Perú and has worked as a Spanish teacher in both Perú and Costa Rica. Samuel has worked in the Peace Corps and at the university level teaching Spanish since 2001, and at Intercultura since 2006.


Carolina Flores.
Carolina is a graduate of the Universidad de Costa Rica, where she obtained her BA in Classical Philology. She has taught Spanish as a Second Language and Corporate Spanish since 2001, and has also been an assistant professor of Classical Philology in the University of Costa Rica. She is currently completing her Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. In her free time, she enjoys reading and learning about the culinary arts in other countries.

Karina Paez.
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Jacqueline Benavides.
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