Undergraduate

Hello, my name is Lucy Agbo I hold a degree in French from Benue State University, Nigeria. 

Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of South Florida. 

Back home, I was a Teaching Assistant at the University of Abuja Business School, Nigeria. I have been teaching French since I graduated from the University in 2016, so I help my students develop their French proficiency while improving their reading, writing and listening skills. 

I like reading, watching movies and meeting new people. I am a language enthusiast, having grown up in a society that speaks over 500 languages. 

I love teaching and look forward to working with students as part of the Department of World Language's tutoring program. 

Email: agbo@usf.edu

Hello, my name is Firoz. I’m currently doing my second Masters in Linguistics: English as a Second Language at the Department of World Languages, University of South Florida.

Before this, I was working as an ‘Assistant Professor’ at the Department of English, Comilla University, Bangladesh since July 01, 2016. I joined there as a ‘Lecturer’ on July 01, 2013 and I'm currently on Study Leave. I also worked as an ‘Assistant Lecturer’ at the Department of English, Gono University, Bangladesh from November 03, 2012, to June 27, 2013.

Earlier, I completed both MA and BA in English (Hons.) from the Department of English, Faculty of Arts & Humanities, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh in the respective year of 2011 & 2010. I enjoy teaching and believe that it is a two-way process where both teachers and learners can create a learning-friendly setting to bring out the best possible outcomes of the knowledge.

In my teaching career, I've handled courses like: Reading, Listening, Writing, English Language Teaching, Teaching ESL/EFL Skills, Sociolinguistics, and Psycholinguistics. Moreover, I have several published research works. My interest is to work on Multilingualism, Methods of ESL, Writing, Reading, TESOL, and Digital Literacy

Email: fahmed305@usf.edu

Hi! My name is Fatimah Aloufi, and I am very excited to start my first semester pursuing a Master’s degree in Linguistics: English as a Second Language at the Department of World Languages, University of South Florida.

I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. I’ve been teaching for over seven years, primarily teaching English in rural schools. Teaching and learning languages are the challenging environment I enjoy the most, and that’s why I am so excited to work as a tutor for the Arabic language in The Department of World Languages. I am happy to support your education while continuing to add to my experience.

I have a few interests, but lately, I’ve been volunteering with Health Volunteering back home, an organization that the Saudi Ministry of Health launched in 2019. Also, I enjoy reading novels and watching documentaries in my leisure time. If you require further information about learning Arabic, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Email address: aloufi1@usf.edu

Hello, my name is Larry. I am a master's student in the Linguistics: English as a Second Language program. My bachelor’s degree is in music education from Florida State University. I have taught choir and guitar from elementary school to high school and used to volunteer with the Hispanic Services Council teaching English through music.

I was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan and I have always been surrounded by second language learners and users. I really feel for how difficult and rewarding learning a second language can be. Outside of school I like to take care of my plants and constantly buy books which only occasionally get read.

Email: grullonpolanco@usf.edu

Melody Marr is a Spanish tutor. She is a student in the Applied Linguistics TESOL program. She holds a BA from Hendrix College in Spanish and Religious Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Spanish Literature and Philology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Prior to her time at USF, she worked as a cryptolinguist for the US Army and studied Arabic at their Defense Language Institute. She has most recently worked with Pre-k and Elementary aged students and is looking forward to working with adults again!

Melody’s interest is in teaching as social justice–ensuring equitable access to education, without barriers, across socioeconomic, racial, cultural, language, disability, and identity differences. Her favorite author in this field is Sonia Nieto. As for Spanish writing, her favorite poem is Tú me quieres blanca by Alfonsina Storni.

 Email: melodymarr@usf.edu

Kofi Martin (pursuing his MA in Linguistics) has been teaching English and Spanish to a variety of age/proficiency levels for over a decade. Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Martin has taught in Bogota, Colombia; Lima, Peru; Barcelona, Spain and, most recently - for the last 4, COVID-altered, and digital learning enhanced years, has taught elementary music after having served as a bilingual assistant and children’s bilingual education advocate for Pinellas County Schools.

In his free time, Kofi is concurrently pursuing an MA in Instrumental Performance - Clarinet at USF. His research interests include children’s literacy, dual-language instruction, lavender linguistics, and identity performance.

He is specifically interested in ways to support literacy in all spaces while attempting to infuse musical aspects in his own style of delivering content whilst being cognizant of the theories pertaining to “presence” as subliminal political act in the academy.

Email: kofim@usf.edu

Hi! My name is Alli (she/her) and I am in the World Languages M.A. program: Teaching English as a second language. I recently graduated from USF with a B.A. in Applied Linguistics. I have been learning languages for almost 10 years; language learning and teaching are my passions in life! I have been studying Spanish since middle school (8+ years) and I have taken many college level Spanish classes.

I feel comfortable tutoring beginner to intermediate levels of Spanish. I have conversational skills in German, as I have traveled there a few times and have many German friends! I would love to tutor you if you are in German 1 or 2. As a second language learner, I understand the struggles of language learning and have discovered strategies that have helped me, and that can hopefully help you too! I hope we can work together to help you succeed in your language endeavors!

Email: martinson@usf.edu

Hi! My name is Madge, and I’m a student in the M.A. Linguistics / Teaching English as a Second Language program. I attended USF for my undergraduate degree as well, where I was a linguistics major too!

Most of my work is within sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and discourse analysis, but I’m a big fan of all sorts of linguistics research (not a huge fan of phonetics but I enjoy using the IPA). Whether you’re interested in bouncing some ideas around about potential linguistics research, practicing IPA, trying to better understand semantics, or more… I can help out!

Email: mmmitchell1@usf.edu

Greetings to all! My name is Josh, and I love studying languages and methods of language teaching. I recently graduated from USF with a B.A. in World Languages with concentrations in Spanish and Linguistics, as well as a B.A. in Psychology. Now, I am staying at USF to pursue a master’s degree in Linguistics, focusing on English as a Second Language. 

I have lived in Tampa my whole life, and I am a strong supporter of the Cuban sandwich. At home, I have three pet birds, and I keep three Smoothie King gift cards with me almost everywhere I go. In my free time, I enjoy playing the piano and repeatedly losing against computers in chess. 

I also love Spanish, and I love helping my fellow students on their Spanish learning journeys! If you have any questions about Spanish grammar and vocabulary, or if you want to know about good learning resources, or even if you just want to practice your conversation skills in a judgment-free zone, I would be very happy to help! 

Email: jnusekabel@usf.edu 

Hello, my name is Sarah. Having graduated from the Ohio State University with a B.A. in English and Linguistics, along with a minor in French, I am currently pursuing a M.A. in Applied Linguistics here at USF.

I call Dubai, U.A.E., home but I’m excited to be here at Tampa. In my free time I like reading and exploring new spots around town. Having grown up speaking both Bengali and English, I have a deep appreciation for languages and language learning.

I love working with students, and I’m looking forward to teaching French and Linguistics. I’m open to questions, so feel free to reach out with any queries you have!

Email: rahmans@usf.edu

Hello! My name is Maria and I am a recent graduate from USF receiving a Bachelor's in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and a minor in Linguistics. I am currently pursuing my master's in Linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language. 

I’m from Haines City, Florida. Being bilingual (growing up speaking both Spanish and English), I have a deep appreciation for languages and language learning. I started learning Japanese during my undergraudate studies. Besides Japanese, there are other languages I want to learn in the near future, like French, Italian, and Portuguese. In my free time I enjoy dancing, watching movies, building puzzles and trying new food spots. 

As a language learner myself, I want to be an aid to help students on their journey to improving their Japanese! I can recommend helpful study material from books and apps that have worked for me. If you have any questions about grammar and vocabulary, or just want to practice your conversation skills, please feel free to reach out.

My strengths are Japanese 1 and 2, but I can assist with higher levels, too.

Email: mivargas@usf.edu