Michal Eskayo

Michal Eskayo is thrilled to join the ESL/FL Department at Harold Washington College.  She has spent the last thirteen years with St. Augustine College in Uptown, one of the only bilingual institutions of higher education in the US.  During her time at St. Augustine, Michal taught ESL, Composition and Speech.  She was also the Acting Chair of the Languages and Literature Department last year.

Michal has a passion for teaching, for learning languages and for traveling in other countries.  Some of her favorite adventures include traversing China by train to reach Xiahe in Gansu province on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, horseback riding in the sugar cane valley near Trinidad, Cuba and hiking through a dormant volcano near the equator in Ecuador.

Through her work with students from around the world, Michal has been motivated to spend many summers in Mexico and Central America hitting the books to learn Spanish.  She thinks one of the greatest aspects of learning a foreign language has been the continued opportunity to be in the learner's seat.

Michal also teaches violence prevention and self-defense classes for Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self Defense Center.  These courses teach participants practical ways to increase their awareness, self confidence and safety as well as practical strategies to stop or interrupt violence.

e-mail: meskayo@gmail.com