About the Authors

Karla Lemari was born in Ecuador and began teaching Spanish in 2002 in her native country. In 2006, she moved to San Diego, California. She is a Spanish instructor with extensive experience in teaching at institutions such as California State University San Marcos, Palomar College, and Irvine Valley College. She holds a master's degree in Spanish and has presented at various academic symposiums and professional development events, focusing on language instruction, technology integration, and the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance accessibility and affordability in education. Passionate about fostering cultural exchange, Karla draws from her own experiences as a language learner to inspire and connect with her students. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new cities, dancing to Latin music, and learning from people of diverse cultural backgrounds. 

Lisbeth Rosales was born and raised in Guatemala, Central America, and in 2009 moved to the United States. In 2013, she found her passion for teaching when she was a student and a tutor at the English as a Second Language Department at Victor Valley College. At CSU San Bernardino, she graduated with a B. A. and an M.A. in Hispanic Literature, Linguistics, and Civilization. She teaches Spanish, Latin American & Spanish Peninsular Culture and Civilization at different community colleges in the Inland Empire and Orange County area. She has extensive experience in online teaching and has developed different assessments to evaluate student learning outcomes. Teaching gives her the opportunity to share her journey with her students and hopefully instill in her students a love for education and inspire them to achieve their goals. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, doing road trips, watching movies and spending time with her family.

Beatrice Tseng was born in Taiwan but lived in Brazil, Colombia, and Panama before moving to California. At UCLA, she obtained her BA in Spanish and Portuguese and her MA in Spanish Literature. She has been teaching Spanish at Irvine Valley College (IVC) since 1991 and is currently the Chair of the Languages Department. Beatrice is the co-author of the "Instructors' Resource Kit" which accompanies the Spanish textbook Dos mundos and has presented numerous workshops on the "Natural Approach", Dos mundos, and the usage of technology and games in foreign language classes. She has a certificate in E-Learning and Online Teaching from the University of Wisconsin @ Stout and continues to take courses and workshops on online teaching to stay current. Beatrice has been recognized as IVC's Teacher of the Year and the Most Inspiring Professor of the Year and was honored with the 2024 Faculty Award for Excellence. She has traveled extensively in many Spanish-speaking countries and loves teaching Spanish and sharing with her students her passion and knowledge of both of her heritages: the Hispanic and the Chinese.