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LinkedInMansi Shah, Teacher
| Country of Origin: | India |
| Education: | Bachelor of Commerce, BA in Spanish, MA in Hispanic Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition |
Mansi Shah grew up in India speaking a variety of Indian languages and has loved languages for as long as she can remember. While in India, Mansi earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics. However, languages were her first love, and she studied French and German at Alliance Française and the Goethe Institute in Mumbai while attending Sydenham. She has passed Diplôme de Langue Française and Kleines Deutches Sprachdiplom translation certifications and worked as a French and German translator in India.
Based on her love for languages, it was easy for Mansi to pick Spanish as her major when she decided to attend The University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with highest honors and was awarded the Stacie Maureen Sowell Endowed Presidential Scholarship for her research on Second Language Acquisition in Mexico. While at UT, Mansi spent her summers volunteering and doing research in Guatemala and Mexico. She also served as a student representative on the Undergraduate Studies Committee for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and was responsible for recommending and developing improvements to course curriculum.
After graduating from UT, Mansi worked as a bilingual kindergarten teacher for two years at Neidig Elementary in Elgin, TX. In addition to her duties in the classroom, Mansi was an enthusiastic organizer and contributor to extracurricular activities for the students of Neidig Elementary. Mansi coached the winning teams of fourth and fifth grade students in a district wide Art History trivia competition organized by the University of Texas. In recognition of her contributions to the district and the progress demonstrated by her students, she was awarded the "Teacher of Promise" award by the district in her first year of employment.
Her experience as a bilingual teacher convinced Mansi about the importance of bilingual education and solidified her desire to contribute to the field. Mansi left Neidig Elementary to pursue a Masters Degree in Hispanic Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at UT. Her graduate research focused on the transfer of pragmatic knowledge from previously known languages to the learner’s third and fourth languages. She also worked as a Teaching Assistant in the department of Spanish and Portuguese, developing supplemental teaching materials for undergraduate Spanish courses and facilitating and leading discussion sessions to reinforce challenging course material.
Mansi’s dream is to promote bilingual education and foster appreciation for languages and cultures among students. She enables her students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers by creating a nurturing environment in the classroom where students are encouraged to ask questions and explore. Mansi is extremely excited to be a part of MIS’ staff and is looking forward to applying her varied language learning and teaching experiences to the classroom to provide her students with a multicultural and multilingual education.
Mansi enjoys being a mommy to her daughter, Anishka. In her spare time Mansi also loves to cook, read and travel.
