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Degree/Year: B.A., Spanish, 1986Current Employer: Joliet Catholic Academy
Title: Spanish teacher
Back on Bradley’s campus in the early 1980’s, I was Lauren Finaldi, a Spanish major earning her secondary teaching certification. I was an editor of The Broadside literary magazine and an active Chi Omega sorority member. I also spent a semester of my junior year studying abroad at the University of Granada, Spain.
My favorite professor, hands down, at Bradley was Dr. Glen Dille of the Spanish department. One of my fondest memories is when I invited him to a dinner event to at my sorority house, where we all enjoyed his charm and sense of humor. He served as a mentor to me during my four years at Bradley, and even after my graduation.
Today, I am known around the campus of Joliet Catholic Academy simply as “Profe.” I teach Spanish II, III and IV, Honors, moderate the Spanish Club and am in charge of our local Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica chapter. The best part of my job is organizing our short-term student exchange to Spain. We have been traveling back and forth to the same school in Catalonia for the past two years, staying with host families and hosting them when they come to Illinois. Turning this opportunity into a reality for my students is the fulfillment of a life’s dream. I’m confident that this exposure to another culture will ignite their desire to study abroad in college, as I was able to do at Bradley so many years ago.
I am also active in professional organizations, such as the Illinois Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ITCFL). I am currently serving a two-year term as secretary, and am a regular presenter at their fall conferences. I participate in activities sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), such as their annual poetry contest. Offering the National Spanish Exam at our school was also my initiative.
Combining my passion for teaching Spanish with my love of music is something I use regularly to enhance my lessons. In order to share these ideas with fellow language teachers, I maintain a blog at www.profeTUNES.blogspot.com.
I thank Bradley University’s foreign language department for the role it has played in my professional life.
