¡Hola! My name is Mallory, and I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Fairview, Pennsylvania near Lake Erie. In May 2022, I graduated from Kent State University in Ohio with a major in Spanish-English translation. I minored in economics and Italian studies and also earned a teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) certificate. I am currently working as an English Teaching Assistant in Ecuador through the Fulbright U.S. Student program. In September, I'll be attending graduate school to study education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
I began studying Spanish in 8th grade and absolutely fell in love with the language--from the grammar to the cultural lessons to the salsa and bachata songs; it quickly became my favorite class. In 2016, I had the opportunity to travel to southern Spain and Portugal to visit family living abroad with the military, and putting my language skills to use in a real-life context solidified my desire to study and work abroad as much as possible in college. After another visit to Spain in 2017, I spent my senior year of high school scouring the Internet for reputable cultural exchange programs until I found the perfect one.
