Marcelo is from Alajuela, Costa Rica and has been with Intercultura since 1994.  He began as a Spanish teacher and while he still teaches, he is also the head of the Spanish department and the school’s Executive Director.  He is in charge of teacher training and runs a series of professional development workshops each year.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Linguistics from the National University of Costa Rica (recognized as the top teaching college in the country), where he subsequently obtained two masters degrees, one in teaching Spanish as a second language and the other in Adult Education, before going on to become a visiting faculty member at both the UNA and the National Technological University. Marcelo has completed coursework towards a Doctorate in Linguistics, specialized in Spanish dialects of Central America and in the indigenous languages ​​of Mayan and Chibcha. He is the co-author of Intercultura´s Spanish as a Second Language Textbooks and digital program materials. Marcelo organizes the schedule of cultural activities at the school and he himself is a national folk music artist and dancer. He is fluent in English and in his spare time he enjoys reading, music, dancing, spending time with friends and exploring the area’s cultural scene.

“Desde dos años (el principio) todo es simplemente maravilloso. Estoy conociendo a personas y profesores increíbles, amables, profesionales… Hablamos, aprendemos, compartimos con las culturas y mucho más. Realmente, es una gran suerte y oportunidad para mi haber conocido la escuela de Intercultura y a su fabuloso personal. Tengo cada vez más conocimientos con el idioma español y puedo tener una conversación adecuada con la gente hispanohablante. Y, no hablaba, ni siquiera una sola palabra, del idioma español hace dos años. No podía encontrar una mejor escuela, de verdad, donde siempre tengo ganas de continuar mejorando mis aprendizajes. Muchas gracias por su disponibilidad, paciencia, su rigor et amabilidad. Y que decir de la impecable organización de esa escuela:) Que hermosa aventura de la vida, una gran apertura de la mente sobre una parte del mundo! Mil gracias por todo, tengo la mejor escuela y los mejores profesores del mundo entero!” – Nathalie Dallaire, 2023

“Thank you Marcelo! Your class is always engaging and you always seem so excited to teach!” – Luke Wild, 2023