School of Language, Culture, and Society

teach in three programs: German, Spanish and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. All my courses are interactive and collaborative, with a focus on building a community of learners. Studying Spanish will enrich your life tremendously, but this is different for everyone. For me, it's been about the many friendships and community connections that speaking Spanish has made possible. Let us know how Spanish enriches your life!

I teach both online and on-campus and enjoy both for different reasons. My favorite thing about teaching in either modality is getting to know students. As a "people-person" I am generally curious about people's lives, stories, interests, motivations, frustrations, etc. I love meeting new students each term as well as having the chance to build longer-term relationships with students that take multiple classes that I teach. As an instructor, I am interested in learning what students like and don't like about learning Spanish and how I can help them find ways to make the experience more meaningful for them. I like all the classes I teach but I especially like teaching Spanish Conversation and also Internship, a service-learning course that sends students into the community to work with young people. Let's connect and talk about your journey with multilingualism!

Unlike most things you study in college, learning a language offers the opportunity for you to start from zero (or wherever you’re starting!) and observe your own considerable progress as you develop new skills.

On the first day of Spanish 111, you don’t even know how to introduce yourself; by the time you finish Spanish 213 you can tell a friend what happened to you yesterday, make a joke, read a poem, listen to a podcast, or send a card. Learning a language can be hard work, but it’s entirely doable—and if it’s humbling sometimes, it’s also inspiring and satisfying.

¡Hola! I am a life-long speaker of both English and Spanish, having grown up in a home where Spanish was the predominant language. Needless to say, I have a great love for the Spanish language and Latin culture. My familiarity and experiences as a second-generation Peruvian-American have given me unique insights into both the need and utility of Spanish-language education for young-adults. These realizations, paired with my love of working with young people, is what led me towards teaching. Teaching Ecampus Spanish courses provides the wonderful opportunity to connect with so many students from across the globe!

At Oregon State, we’re a small department, which means that we often form close connections with our students that we can nourish term after term. I love to learn both about and from my students and nothing is more rewarding than seeing them leave my classes with better communication skills and cultural awareness than they had when they entered.

Like many of our students, I learned Spanish at the university, so not only do I know what’s possible for them from a learning standpoint, but I also understand what it’s like to be in their position. I teach the types of classes that I would have wanted to take as a student, and I meet my students wherever they are on their path to proficiency.

¡Hola! My name is Jason Krebs and I look forward to having you in one of my classes. I currently live in Portland, Oregon with my wife, my son and my two dogs. I have been teaching Spanish for the OSU Ecampus since 2011, so I am familiar with online instruction and the needs of online students. Aside from teaching at OSU, I also teach High School Spanish. During the summer, you can find me at Portland State University teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), primarily students from Japan or Spain.

I teach a variety of levels of Spanish from first-year to fourth-year. I am passionate about teaching Spanish language and culture to students. I grew up in a Spanish-speaking home as my parents moved to the USA from Spain a few months before I was born! I grew up surrounded by Spanish speakers from Spain, Cuba and Colombia. Prior to teaching Spanish, I was an Emergency Room RN. At OSU, I have developed and currently teach Spanish for Medical Professions. I enjoy creating courses for students that will be useful in the real world. In my classes, I encourage students to apply what they have learned through practice and conversation. I believe that culture is an essential part of language learning and therefore incorporate it fully into my classes.

Valeria Ochoa (she/her/ella) is an Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics and Heritage Education in the School of Language, Culture, and Society. Her research focuses on Spanish as a heritage language (SHL) in the U.S. Within this field, Valeria investigates issues relevant to local bi/multilingual communities through the incorporation of critical and decolonial perspectives. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Pragmatics and Languages.

Valeria directs and teaches the Spanish for Heritage Language Learners (SHLLs) courses and program. She brings her academic and personal expertise to this role as a Mexican American SHLL from Las Vegas, Nevada.

I have been nourished and shaped by the people who brought me up and the ones who have welcomed me wherever I have been. I am thankful for it and bring my love and passion for Spanish to my classes, where both my students and I become enriched by what we bring.

My goal in class is to have an engaging space in which the cultures and the language are explored in a climate where everyone can feel safe and respected and realize their full potential.

I teach across the School of Language, Culture and Society, but Spanish is my home base. I am an applied linguist by training and with my students I seek to understand relationships between language and power dynamics. Whether you join me for Spanish in the United States, Introduction to Spanish Linguistics, or Spanish Conversation, I invite you to explore your linguistic identities critically and deeply and as undoubtedly connected to all the other ways in which you identify (think: gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, ability…). Our work will be individual, as well as collective—each class I teach doubles as a new learning community from which we all benefit as teachers and learners.

I am the academic advisor for the World Languages and Cultures. I help advise you throughout your time at OSU. Whether you have questions about classes, studying abroad, or Spanish-related topics, I am here to help. I grew up speaking Spanish as my parents come from a Mexican background. I understand the importance of advocating for the Spanish language from personal experience. As a student, I decided to minor in Spanish which has allowed to use what I learned as an advisor. I am thankful for the Spanish program and hope to build relationships with students during their journey at OSU.

I have an M.A. in Spanish Literature from the University of Oregon and I have been working for Oregon State University since 2007. I direct courses for Spanish heritage language learners and for second-language learners both on our main campus and for the E-campus. I view my role in the classroom as a valuable opportunity to learn from everyone and to make a positive impact on all the participants and beyond.

I am originally from Ecuador and came to Corvallis in 2020. I'm an easygoing person who loves watching movies, listening to music, reading books and working on film production. I have a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language and I have been teaching Spanish for more than 12 years. Over the years, I have strengthened my skills and have reinforced my feeling that teaching is my passion. Through this job, I can learn from my students, learn their culture and also teach my own. Teaching in the United States has allowed me to expand my culture, reflect on the language and its dialects and leave something from me and my culture in every student.