Meet the 2019 TEA Fellows
Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement 2019 Cohort
Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement 2019 Cohort
Biographies
Baudoin Habingabwa
Rwanda
Baudoin Habingabwa has been teaching English for 7 years at TTC Save, a Teacher Training College in Southern Province, Gisagara District. The school has got around 799 students, mixed gender. It's owned by Marist Brothers of Catholic Church. The school trains students who will go to teach in primary schools. He speaks 4 languages: English, French, Swahili and Kinyarwanda. In his leisure time, he likes hiking, jogging and playing basketball. He is married to Vestine and they have two children: one son of 3 years, and one 5-month old daughter.
Beinegul Bekbolatova
Kazakhstan
Beinegul has been teaching English at a school-lyceum "Parassat" for children of different nationalities studying in Kazakh. In general,she has worked as a teacher for 17 years. Her students' range in age from 6 to 18 years old. On average, there are about 10-15 students in class. Apart from teaching at school, she is involved in teaching English to her mentally disabled niece as well as two more differently disabled children who have to study at home. Her primary objective for participating in Fullbright TEA is to explore new methodologies for working with such children to help them fully and successfully socialize in school communities.
Boymuhammad Tavarov Kholmurodovich
Tajikistan
Boymuhammad was born in Baljuvon district, khatlon region in Tajikistan. From 1996 until 2005, he attended school #17 of Baljuvon district. From 2005 until 2007, he attended school #28 of Vose district. Starting in 2007, he studied at Faculty of Foreign Philology, English department at Kulob State University named after Abuabdullohi Rudaki, Kulob town. In 2017 he participated in an ETM Mentor Program run by US Embassy in Dushanbe/Tajikistan. He started working as an English teacher in 2013. From Sep.2013 until Apr.2015 he worked at school #17 of Baljuvon district. From Apr. 2015 until Sep. 2018 he worked at KSU, where he studied. Since Sep. 2018 he has been working at the Presidential School for Gifted Pupils in Kulon town.
Dali Kotrikadze
Georgia
Dali has been teaching English at a public schoo lfor the past 24 years. She occupies the position of a Senior Teacher. She is a Teacher's General Professional Skills Facilitator at her school. She always enjoys new challenges and loves doing projects or taking part in them. She likes teamwork and often attends Methodological Seminars in order to enhance her teaching skills.
Her hobbies include pets, gardening, wildlife and tourism. She is married, has two sons and a five year old little dog (Min. Pinscher)-Lulu. She has been married for 25 years. Her elder son is 23 years old and her younger son is 16. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright Tea is to gain new teaching skills, activities and teaching methods, on the one hand, in order to enhance her own openness, creativity, her personal and professional skills and on the other hand, to be a leader in innovating, sharing her newly gained experience and diversity of activities with her students and colleagues which they are going to put into practice together.
Nicaragua
Eberth Aguilar has been teaching English for five years in a public school in a community called Kiwaskas. His students range in age from 14 to 18 years old. On average there are 10 students per classroom where he teaches English. He is an active member of his school's parent teacher committee where he has played a role in promoting effective parental involvement in student education.
His hobbies include recording music, singing, learning about mastering sound and vocals, reading about Linux and testing security networks. His primary objective for participating in Fulbright Tea is to explore new strategies for engaging students in a more participatory and active classroom setting and also share with others what he learns from Fulbright Tea.
Gulrukh Mamatkasimova
Kyrgysztan
Gulrukh Mamatkasimova has been working at public school #8 Kurmanzhan Datka since 2010, and she is currently a teacher of English Access Microscholarship Program 2017-2019 in Uzgen. At school her students are between 11-16 years old and their language level is between Beginner and Intermediate. Her Access students are 13-16 years old. Access students' level is Pre-intermediate. She is an active member of FORUM of FLTA (Foreign Language Teachers' Association). She received a bachelor's degree in English from Osh Kyrgyz-Uzbek University in 2009.
Her hobby is cooking. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to help, encourage and guide her students for their further studies and career, especially the students who are in a financially poor condition.
Gulshara Karymsakova Tuleubaevna
Kazakhstan
Gulshara is a teacher of English, Kazakh and literature at secondary school. She has about 18 years of experience in teaching. She has been given various awards, but there are some that she values most highly. The first award is for best results of her graduates in the Unified National Test. The second is Top Teachers Award of Aktobe oblast. In her career, she has been given several awards for best reports, articles and lessons at different seminars.
She was born and raised in Temir region, Aktobe oblast, attending local school. After secondary school, she attended Aktobe Pedagogical College for four years and ten months; she graduated with a degree as a teacher of Primary School and Kazakh language. She completed her studies at Aktobe State Pedagogical Institute as a teacher of English, Kazakh and Literature in 2006. From 2000 until 2008 she worked in Poltavka secondary school. She has been working at Martuk secondary school since 2008. In 2016, she completed courses for school leadership and now she leads a School of young teachers, where she conducts mentoring work with young teachers. In fall of 2017 she took part in courses for English teachers. After that course she received a Cambridge Assessment certificate in CLIL. The last course for teachers was in summer 2018 where she received a certificate of updated curriculum.
She has been married for 20 years and has three children. Two of them are pupils, and the youngest goes to kindergarten. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family. They enjoy watching television, reading books and playing a variety of games.
Ibtisam Ali Ahmed Abukaff
Jordan
Ibtisam has been a teacher in a primary mixed school since 2008 and has been teaching English since 2001. She received a diploma degree in English language in 1998 from Applied university, a bachelor's degree in English literature and language in 2012 from Al Albayt university and a master's degree in CALL in 2015 from the same university. Ibtisam loves teaching English in general and English language in particular, so she tries to integrate using technology in her classes in spite of the limited resources. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to explore new methods for teaching different language skills and to cope with new methods of teaching.
Koson Pankheaw
Thailand
Koson Pankheaw has been teaching English language at the local public school for girls for the past 7 years. Her students range in age from 13-18 years old. On average, there are 40 students in her class. She received a bachelor's degree in General English from Kanchanaburi Rajaphat University in 2006 and certificate in teaching methods from the same university. Her hobbies include listening to music and train for boxing. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to explore new methodologies for engaging student in a more participatory and active classroom setting. She believes that if she improves one, she will also improve the other.
Mahamba Sebastian Ihonde
Tanzania
Mahamba Sebastian Ihonde has been a secondary school teacher for more than 10 years now. He teaches English and History subjects at public school. The age of his students' range between 13 years old to 18 years old, and the number of students in one class is 60. He is a very active English teacher; he organizes English clubs and conferences in Mwanza. Mahamba is now volunteering at New Chapter for Youth Development center (NCYD); he helps vulnerable kids in English clubs.
Mahamba earned a certificate of bachelor’s degree of arts in Education at St. Augustine University of Tanzania, and he further went for Masters' degree of Arts in Linguistics in 2017. He has also been a participant and presenter at world conference in Transformation Education in July 2018.
Mahamba is married and a father of one daughter who is two years old. His hobbies are playing soccer and swimming. Mahamba's interest in participating in TEA is to learn through exchange program and be better equipped with new methodologies in English class, share culture with participants in America and give an impact during his return back home in Tanzania.
Mateus Manuel Randinho
Mozambique
Mateus Manuel Randinho is an English teacher at Eduardo Mondlane Secondary School, Gorongosa. He loves teaching English and has thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the dedicated and happy staff, wonderful youth and supportive community. He began his teaching career in 2011 after graduating with a one year English Language Teachers' training course certificate from Pedagogical University of Mozambique in 2010. He is currently doing his licentiate degree in English at the same University and he will graduate in 2019. Eduardo Mondlane Secondary School is a government-run school, and one of the most well-known and popular secondary schools in the Gorongosa district. It serves local students as well as students who come from throughout Sofala province. Most of the people in the community are peasants, making their living from subsistence farming. Some are self-employed workers and very few are employed by the government.
His interests and hobbies outside school include reading, watching movies, and spending time with his family. His primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to improve his teaching methods, lesson planning, and instructional technology in English in order to be the best teacher that he can be. He would also like to learn ways to help lead his country by taking advantage of technology for more and better educational opportunities for Mozambican students.
Neyra Johana Quintero Villamizar
Colombia
Neyra Quintero has been teaching English at a public secondary school in Colombia for ten years. Her students range in age from 10 to 18 years old. On average, there are 30 students in her classes. During her profession as a teacher, she has had the opportunityto lead and be part of some projects in her school. Neyra received a bachelor ́s degree in English Teaching from The Unversity of Pamplona in 2007 and finished her Specialization in English Teaching from The Pontificia Bolivariana University in 2013. Neyra ́s hobbies include dancing, biking and playing basketball. She is married and has a 9 year old boy. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to improve her teaching and language skills but principally to share the experience with her community.
Omaima Omer Abdalrazig Ahmed
Sudan
Omaima Omer has been teaching English language and literature at governmental secondary schools for girls for the past 22 years. Her students range in age from 14-16 years old. On average there are 40 students in her class. She is an active teacher in her school. She always does her best to improve students' standards in her subject and help them to be good students not only in their studies but also in their social lives.
She received a bachelor's degree in English language and literature from Omuderman Ahlia university in 1993, ELT postgraduate Diploma from Gezira university in 2003 and MA degree from the same university in 2016. Her favorite hobby is reading. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to explore new methodologies for engaging students in more participatory and active classroom setting.
Soran Burhan Ali
Iraq
Soran has been teaching English in governmental run, non-governmental run schools and institutes for boys and co-educational schools for the past 7 years. His students range in age from 15 to 18 years old. On average, there are 33 students in his class. He is a member of his school's canteen and oil distribution committee.
He is married and the father of a baby girl. He lives in Arbeel and was also born there. He received a bachelor degree in English from Salahaddin University in 2010. His hobbies include soccer and volleyball. His primary objective in participating in Fulbright TEA is to explore new methodologies and curriculum for engaging or pursuing students in a more participatory and active classroom setting.
Thiri Wai
Myanmar
Thiri is a senior assistance teacher at Basic Education High School (3), North Okkalapa, and she has eleven years of teaching experience. She has been working together with American, British, and German volunteer teachers in ZMBU since 2005. They planned lesson plans and classroom activities together for the development of North Okkalapa community by training young learners and orphans around Myanmar who are currently living in the resident of ZMBU, North Okkalapa. She has been working as a volunteer teacher at Smile Education Training Institute for the development of early childhood education.
She has M.A (TEFL), Master of Teaching English as a Foreign Language in 2009, M.Ed, Master of Education in 2011 and Ph. D in Education in 2016 from Yangon University of Education. Her hobbies are listening to music and travelling. She has four members in her family, and her parents are retired teachers. Her sister is a lecturer from Dagon University. Her primary objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to develop her career of teaching and to be able to manage and supervise effectively for further promotion as a school principal in public education as well as it will be a great encouragement to do more private sector community work on democratic educational reform.
Yarinett del Carmen Rojas Rodriguez
Venezuela
Yarinett Rojas has been an English teacher for 12 years in a public secondary school that is comprised of teenage students from urban and rural areas. She has also taught English to children from 4 to 10 years old as a Vacational camp in her own house. Rojas received her degree as an English teacher from University of Carabobo in 2008. In 2017, she also received a Master's in Education Sciences. She loves reading and learning new things every day. Her main objective for participating in Fulbright TEA is to learn new experiences from other teachers in English-language teaching.
Alma Patricia Tinoco Mendoza
Honduras
Alma Patricia TinocoMendoza is from Honduras. She lives in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of her country. She has a Bachelor degree of Art in English Letters and Language, and a bachelor's degree in Artof Tourism and Hospitality from Pedagogic Francisco Morazan University. Shehas worked as an English Teacher in 21 de febrero High School for 18 years and also works in INTAE High School as a secretary assistant.