Celebrating our ACTFL team diversity

ACTFL honors our team members' backgrounds and identity

ACTFL takes pride in our diverse staff and honors the background and identities of all our team members. We are thrilled to feature selected team members who wish to share more about their cultural identity and how it shapes their work for ACTFL and world language teaching. Thank you!

“I was born and raised in the US. My cultural identity has been a lifelong journey of continuous learning. My ancestral roots date back long before Filipinos were named after King Philip of Spain. My efforts to understand the past have helped to heal any wounds influenced by the erasure of cultural identities. There are over 120 languages in the Philippines that fall into the Austronesian Language Family. My cultural identity connects me to Indigenous Peoples from Taiwan, Samoa, New Zealand, Hawaii, and many more. At ACTFL, I develop online learning and media resources that implement inclusive online learning experiences or Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Linguistics and education can connect us if we make learning inclusive to all. Fun fact: Before my undergrad in Education Sciences, I received an A.S. in Automotive Technology and rebuilt the engine on an ‘89 Ford Bronco I once owned. I now drive a Nissan Leaf to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Maureen Crespo
eLearning Coordinator, Professional Learning & Certifications