Seattle-Tacoma: students and staff

My top tip for learning:

If I thought I want to do something, I would just try it. Sometimes I might fail but sometimes the trying goes well and helps my study.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

To draw a line between studying hard and playing much.

My experience:

I have already graduated from university in Japan, and I plan to study here for nine months and then move to another school to take a one month course because my goal is to become an English teacher.

I chose Embassy because I liked the look of the Diploma course, and I thought the students in the course must have enthusiasm for English. I chose the Seattle-Tacoma school because I heard the area was like Portland and the people were very warm.

I have had the chance to make contact with and make friends with PLU students. By coming to Seattle, I was finally able to watch Ichiro play baseball here.

Be sure to check out Keita's blog about student life at Seattle-Tacoma.

My work involves:

Teaching English to all sorts of student.

My top tip for learning:

Having a great attitude.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't let the rain stop you from having fun.

My experience:

Hello everyone! I am so excited to teach here at Embassy.

I am an American-born Chinese. I was born in Utah and raised in Toronto, Canada along with my three brothers. I studied at BYU-Hawaii and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in TESOL. I absolutely love teaching ESL!

After I graduated from university I taught ESL in the US, Taiwan and Canada. I have been teaching since 2003 to children and adults and I enjoy meeting students from all over the world.

I have been happily married since 2001 and we now have four beautiful children. We have one daughter and three sons. Leanna was born in 2003, Joshua in 2005, Brandon in 2006 and Joseph in 2007. I love having a big family! My children bring such joy in my life and they continue to amaze me every day.

Besides taking care of my home and family, I enjoy reading, listening to music, baking, travelling, exercising and just being outdoors. While at Embassy I hope to share my skills and talents and teach you English to the best of my ability. I look forward to teaching you, and I hope you enjoy your time at Embassy.

My top tip for learning:

Only be around people that are speaking the language you are trying to learn.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Go to school activities and meet new people here and around Tacoma.

My experience:

I am currently enrolled at Istanbul University and my major is Electronics. I plan to finish my education at Embassy, and then I will study Physical Education at Arkansas State University.

My parents and I decided on Embassy in Seattle-Tacoma because it was on a campus that had been on the best education list for the past two years.

Our teachers here are the best . They really help with everything and the education level is perfect here. I can speak English with all people.

One of my best experiences here is going with my PLU friends to California for Spring Break and it was one of the best times in all my life.

My work involves:

Not only teaching classes, but also helping with orientation of both new students and new teachers, creating a monthly newsletter and helping out in the office where I am needed.

My top tip for learning:

Read in English things you enjoy - if you enjoy magazines, read English magazines; if you enjoy science-fiction novels, read English science-fiction novels. The more you enjoy what you read, the more you'll learn from it.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Don’t just follow the guidebooks - ask natives where to eat and what things to do. They are better than any book and you get to practice your English.

My experience:

I am the Lead Teacher and also one of the Transition teachers here at Embassy on the Pacific Lutheran University campus. I recently graduated with a Masters of Arts for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) from the University of Washington and have been working towards becoming an English teacher since I was twelve years old.

I grew up here in the Seattle area and while I love travelling I can not imagine myself living anywhere else. I have travelled to Europe, spending time in France, England and Belgium as well as Mexico and most recently Costa Rica. I speak French, learned Swahili and am currently in the process of learning Korean. Other than travelling, I enjoy cooking, reading, shopping, spending time with my friends and family and getting to know new people.

I am looking forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your academic goals - whatever they may be!

My top tip for learning:

Learning American culture can improve your English, including speaking, writing and acting like an American.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Release your mind and try to participate in activities that you don’t do in your hometown. You will find out that you will learn a lot more than you expected.

My experience:

I have a university degree in Mechanical Engineering from my university in Taiwan, and I am planning on studying in the U.S. for two years on an MBA program.

Embassy creates opportunities for students to talk with Americans and it has helped improve my listening and speaking skills. By doing so, I have learned American culture and it help me to be deeply involved in the conversation with native speakers.

My host mother is a PLU professor and she held a party in her house and invited her co-workers and students. I have had a lot of fun because I talked and danced with them. I have not had the same experience before that - it was awesome!

My work involves:

Helping with housing, activities, bookings and changes, vacations and travel, signing I-20s, selling books and phone cards... and just about everything else!

My top tip for learning:

Have fun!

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't let the weather keep you from going outside!

My experience:

I'm here to help! I love to travel, shop and talk to international students. I enjoy working out at the gym and watching movies, but most of all, I like to relax!

My top tip for learning:

Make an effort in everything such as hanging out with Americans and having lots of conversations with them. Just go for it!

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Enjoy the weather, trees and flowers, go to the Museum of Glass and downtown Seattle! You should make some plans every weekend with your friends!

My experience:

I am a sophomore in university, but I am taking a year off of school to study English. I am planning to stay in America for one year because I'm planning to graduate from university in Korea as soon as possible. My goal is to learn English and to speak like an American.

I chose Embassy Seattle-Tacoma because my uncle lives near Tacoma and I also wanted to experience school life with American friends. Embassy has a lot of activities such as meeting PLU students, hanging out with Americans and so on. It is very helpful for improving my English.

One of my best experiences has been in the Volunteering elective class I took a month ago. At that time, I helped children studying in an elementary school. It was an unforgettable experience!

My work involves:

Anything dealing with the academic side of things, from the testing and placement of students, to working with teachers, to scheduling classes and ordering textbooks.

My top tip for learning:

Make an effort to speak only English.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Get involved in the school activities!

My experience:

I have a Masters Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and have been teaching English since 1995.

I am married and have one daughter, two dogs and two cats. I enjoy bicycling, camping, watching movies and working in my yard.

My top tip for learning:

Practice English during all your spare time.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Be a volunteer.

My experience:

I am a university transfer student at Embassy/PLU. I am in the Transition program and plan to be in the US for at least two years until I get my Bachelor's degree. I am not sure I want to continue to study after I graduate so I will have to wait and see.

I chose to study at Embassy/PLU because they also include English training and my English was not good enough to be a full-time student yet. My classes are helping me improve my English skills in listening and speaking, reading and writing and for the TOEFL iBT. I have enjoyed the friendly people and the free environment for living and studying.

My work involves:

The daily operations of the school.

My top tip for learning:

Learn what YOU want. You'll learn what interests you faster and remember it more easily. This knowledge will then give you a solid foundation on which to more naturally build new vocabulary and improve language skills.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't stay home!

My experience:

My passion for international study began in high school while participating in a year-long student exchange programme between my hometown of New York City and Vienna, Austria. Even after many years our families are still in close contact, now exchanging e-mails instead of handwritten letters.

I vividly recall my first days there, in my new home, city and school, and I knew then that I would be destined for a life abroad. I eagerly returned to Vienna for a semester in college, and within two years after graduating I relocated from Manhattan's bustling financial sector to the sleepy costal city of Kangnung, South Korea, where I began the next 10 years developing a career in international education.

During this time I was fortunate to teach a wide variety of learners and manage programs to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. While in China, where I spent nearly nine years, I pursued a Masters in Linguistics though the University of Surrey in England. I subsequently also became fluent in Mandarin.

I am now excited to leverage this rich international experience at Embassy.

As Director, while my immediate goal is to improve students' communicative abilities in English, I ultimately hope to help create an environment that fosters tolerance of other cultures and allows students to maximise their unique individual potentials.

My top tip for learning:

Set your own long term and short term goals. Make your own plans and keep working on it.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't be afraid of something different - you know, you're here because you're not afraid.

My experience:

In China, I graduated from college and I plan to stay in the US for more than ten years to get a doctorate in Nursing. Now, I am planning to study Nursing at Pacific Lutheran University. I chose to come to Embassy/PLU because I thought it would be better for me to learn English in the US and also because PLU has a great nursing school.

I wasn't good at English before I came but now I'm getting better and my classes helped me get into the university programme in America. I have many new friends from different countries and they teach me about their culture. Now, I love learning about different cultures.

My experience:

Since earning my first degree in Romance Languages (Spanish and French) from the University of Oregon in Eugene, I knew that soon I would be continuing the family teaching tradition set by relatives two generations ago.

Since I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures and histories from varying ethnicities around the world, I spent several years studying idioms (Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, Arabic and German) and travelling the globe to perfect my speaking abilities, which found me residing for different lengths of time in France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Chile and Morocco.

As an instructor, I have taught in the educational setting of high school, college, and now university. I love teaching ESL! Furthermore, I love expanding my learned knowledge so much that thus far in my lifetime I presently hold 5 degrees - BAs in Spanish, French, and Visual Art, and MA in ESL, as well as teaching certification from Pacific Lutheran University.

When not in the classroom or on the basketball court playing a pick-up game with our talented students, I train for high level competition in the Tennessee Walking Horse show world on my fabulous horses. In addition, finding time to paint or draw is also an important part of my life. May we all find peace in the often stormy world of life!