The World Languages Department added a new member this 2020-2021 school year. Kelsey Strode, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a great deal of education and experience revolving around Spanish. She uses her passion for the language to teach Spanish 2 students about speaking, reading, writing, and the culture of Spanish.

Growing up, Strode didn’t always know that she wanted to be an educator. However, her love for Spanish was always in her mind. Strode started taking Spanish in 6th grade. She immediately loved it. “It was the one class I just loved going to every day. I liked other classes too, but it was definitely my best class. I knew I wanted to major or do something with Spanish in college,” she said. 

Strode pursued her passion for Spanish at The University of Wisconsin Madison and graduated with a B.A.s in Spanish and International Studies. During college, she even studied abroad in Seville, Spain her junior year. 

After graduation, Strode was not exactly sure what she wanted to do with her degrees. Eventually, she decided to go back to Spain and teach English for two years. This experience showed Strode that she loved being at school and being around students. Her experience teaching in Spain pushed her to go back to school in the U.S. and to earn her teaching certification from Cardinal Stritch University in Wisconsin. 

Before Nazareth, Strode taught 7th grade Spanish at Glen Hills Middle School in Glendale, Wisconsin. As she was on the lookout for a teaching position to open up, she came across Nazareth. However, she already heard of it! One of Strode’s close friends from college actually attended Naz and she heard about the school from her. She then decided to apply, and she is so happy she did!

Even though this past year has been different from the rest with the pandemic, Strode feels very fortunate to be able to interact with students in person and not solely through a computer screen. She shared, “It makes it so much easier to get to know, chat with, and teach the students to hear what interests and motivates them.” The year hasn’t been without its challenges, but the support Strode receives from her colleagues has helped a lot.

As Strode loves teaching her students, she also has hobbies outside of school. Strode enjoys cooking and following recipes through her cookbooks to create delicious bowls and soups. She entertains herself by catching up with the drama from Netflix shows such as Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls. Strode will always have Seville, Spain in her heart as it is her favorite place to travel. 

Strode is a great addition to the Nazareth family as she inspires her students to learn new languages and cultures. She uses her knowledge from traveling and living abroad to give students the best opportunity to excel in Spanish.