Alumni Highlights
Kelli Dykstra Darcia, Spanish, BA English-Language Arts & Spanish, 2012
Kelli Dykstra Darcia
2012 Graduate
Language: Spanish
Major: English-Language Arts and Spanish
Minor: Elementary Education
After graduating from Grand Valley in 2012, Kelli went on to teach elementary school in Costa Rica. She taught English Language Arts in the private bilingual school where she did her undergrad student teaching. She taught there for two years before moving back to the United States to start teaching in a Spanish Immersion program for elementary schools. She teaches all subject areas in Spanish to native English speakers. Teaching in a Spanish immersion program encouraged her to seek out her Master's degree in Dual Language Instruction. Not only does she use her education in her full time job, but she also tutors adults who are hoping to learn Spanish to be able to communicate with Spanish speakers in our community. In 2017, she became a part-time Realtor in West Michigan where she is able to use her Spanish-speaking abilities to help native Spanish speakers feel assured and comfortable throughout what can be a high stress transaction.
Getting her major in Spanish was one of the best things she could have done for herself. She is thankful for the opportunity to have studied abroad in Costa Rica through the Padnos International Center because without that experience, she would not be as successful as she is today.
Updated March 2019
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