The SW Florida Spanish instructional team is comprised of a group of talented instructors. Some taught in the Spanish program at the former Cultural Center of Charlotte County. Information about each instructor is included below – just click on a name to read about each instructor’s background.
Rita is a talented, creative, highly credentialed, and energetic language instructor who has taught in our program for many years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from University of Massachusetts and a Master of Education from Cambridge College. She is a highly sought after one-on-one private language instructor who kindly makes time to teach classes in our program. Students at all levels benefit greatly from Rita’s vast knowledge and experience and her trove of teaching resources.
Hello, my name is Dorca E. Figueroa. I was born in Puerto Rico and have lived in Florida since 2018. I am an experienced teacher of adult Spanish learners. As a native Spanish speaker, I love sharing my first language with learners. You will enjoy it. Come and spend time with us and we will help you learn and improve.
Doug has been studying Spanish for over 10 years. He is a Spanish Studies graduate at Georgia Southern University. He speaks almost daily with native Spanish speakers via Google Meet and speaks Spanish with a high degree of fluency. He has traveled to Argentina and Mexico and used Spanish extensively during those travels.
Aureliz was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Punta Gorda, FL with her family in 2014. She worked as a Human Resources specialist for five years and currently runs her own business, Aureliz Designs, making custom-designed items for all occasions. She would love it if you would visit her website. Aureliz is a happy, bubbly, people-person who enjoys and feels honored to teach her native language to those who want to learn.
Diana was born in Puerto Rico and speaks fluent Spanish. She came to Florida in 2018 and recalls vividly the challenges she faced learning to be fluent in English. This experience gives her a unique perspective for teaching participants to speak Spanish. She is passionate about teaching her language and a very enthusiastic instructor.
Yamilette was born in Puerto Rico and speaks fluent Spanish. She lives in Punta Gorda and has been teaching Spanish in our program for several years.
Luzmarina is from Bogotá, Columbia. She has worked with the program for many years. She is an effective communicator and has done an excellent job of instructing students in her native language.
Cindy lives in Heredia, San Jose, Costa Rica. She has many years of experience as a Profesora de Idiomas at a well-regarded language school in Costa Rica. She also teaches primary school and tutors adults trying to strengthen their Spanish skills. She is licensed to teach primary school by the Universidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Rica. Her pleasant demeanor and flexibility are excellent teaching assets.
Ana lives in Costa Rica and has many years of experience as a language instructor. She offers a variety of fun and useful methods for engaging participants in conversational sessions in our advanced Spanish classes. She is adaptable and has a welcoming personality, which is important for learning a new language.
Tom currently serves as the program registrar and advisor. He is available to teach beginner-level classes if needed. He taught university business and technology courses for more than 40 years and has been learning Spanish since 2015. He and his wife traveled to Costa Rica twice and Guatemala one time to attend intensive immersion classes.
The transition from working within the Cultural Center of Charlotte County to being a standalone Spanish program has been challenging. Its success is due to the continuing support of several key program advisors who meet regularly with the instructors and make recommendations about how to effectively continue the program. The teaching staff is indebted to their program advisors: Patty Kelley and Kay Parker, former program director and instructor
Cultural Center Roots:
Spanish classes were taught for many years as part of the Cultural Center of Charlotte County’s educational self-improvement programs for adult learners. In March 2020, however, all Cultural Center activities and programs were suspended because of Covid. The Spanish language instructors explored the feasibility of teaching classes using Zoom, and after a brief learning curve, determined that it was a successful way to offer classes. Online classes became a permanent part of how our classes are delivered.
SW Florida Spanish was “born”:
Following the Cultural Center’s permanent closure in 2021, the name SW Florida Spanish was adopted, and a local non-profit entity provided a framework for our program to operate. Our team then partnered with Murdock Christian Church in Port Charlotte, Florida which generously agreed to let us use classroom space for face-to-face classes. This enabled us to offer a mix of in-person and online classes. Since then, our program has continued to grow and expand.
An instructor-led educational institution:
Today we serve participants in Florida and from as far away as Hawaii, California, New York, and New England, maintaining our focus on weekly instruction, take-home assignments, and small-to-medium size classes to ensure sufficient opportunity for active participation. We value quality more than growth and hope that participants continue to say that “there is nothing like our program out there.”
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Class Structure: 6-week sessions with 1.5–2 hours of instruction per week. Homework supports practice outside of class.
Cost: $65 for a six-week session (materials not included).
Location: Online via Zoom or in-person at Murdock Christian Church, 17500 Elmwood Avenue, Port Charlotte, FL 33948.
Not Sure Which Level? Review the CLASSES page for more details.