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Host a Language Ambassador

Language Ambassadors Enrich the Learning Experience

Language ambassadors are a vital part of our language immersion program at LILA. They are interns from Spanish- and Chinese-speaking countries who assist our teachers in the classroom, and provide language and culture models for our students. They are considered teaching assistants, and they help maintain a low student to teacher ratio at LILA. They work with individual students, small groups, or supervise activities of the large group, allowing the teacher to give more attention to students who need more help or more challenge. Ambassadors are are typically assigned to Lower School classrooms, but they may assist on occasion at Upper School.

Language ambassadors bring their own languages and cultures to life by engaging and motivating students, leaving them with new confidence in their ability to communicate across borders. Having ambassadors in the classrooms also gives students the opportunity to hear authentic target-language conversation between the ambassador and the teacher, rather than only between learners or between the teacher and students. It's a proven program for enhancing the educational experiences of LILA students and staff, the host families, and the language ambassadors.


Hosting a Language Ambassador

Host families come in all shapes and sizes. They serve as a language ambassador’s substitute family for half the school year. They provide room and board - a private bedroom, shared bathroom, and meals - and are encouraged to involve ambassadors in social, cultural or family events. Host families are not required to cover any other expenses - ambassadors bring their own spending money. They provide care, moral support, and basic needs to a language ambassador as if they were a member of the family. Host families also provide transportation to and from LILA each day. Transportation assistance can sometimes be arranged if this is a barrier to hosting. Host families receive a $1,000 stipend at the end of their hosting period. We recognize that this stipend will not cover all costs incurred by families in the course of hosting for five months, but we hope that it defrays the cost enough so that more families can participate in hosting. 
 

Interested in becoming a host family? Fill out the Host Family Application today! 

**We are currently in need of host families for Spring Semester! **

DID YOU KNOW?
The Language Ambassadors Program at LILA is supported and funded by the Lakes International PTO, which is funded by parents.

Meet LILA's 2022-2023 Language Ambassadors

Kateryn

Hi! My name is Kateryn Menjivar, I am 26 years old and I am from Chalatenango, El Salvador. I recently graduated with a B.A in English and I am excited to learn and grow as a teacher at LILA. I like to spend time with my family and friends,meeting people and learning from them. I also like to learn about other cultures. I love traveling, cooking, watching movies and series, and going for walks and taking pictures–especially of landscapes and the sunset. I like places where you can see a lot of flora. I like pets, especially cats. Also, I would love to share with you at least a bit about my country and its food. I consider myself a friendly person and I am sure I will have a lot of great new experiences in Minnesota.

Ramón

Hello! My name is Ramón Castella.  I’m 22 and I am from Madrid, Spain. I am a part of a big family; I have five brothers! I live in a small town near the center of the city.  I have just finished my English studies Degree; I have wanted to be an English teacher since childhood. I am very outgoing and I love to travel and discover new things around the world. My dream is to become the best teacher that I can be and this is just the first step to reach it.  I am athletic and very active, so I like to play soccer and basketball. I love reading and watching series. Music is also one of my passions and I spend a lot of time  listening to music.  I am really excited about this experience and I hope that it helps me to develop myself in many aspects of my life.

Walter Godinez

Hello! My name is Walter Godinez. I am 22 years old, and I come from a small but beautiful city in El Salvador called Santa Ana. I am currently a student at the University of El Salvador (UES), pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English Teaching. I am a very enthusiastic, respectful, and amiable person. My main likes are reading, visiting museums, spending time with my friends, running, learning new languages, and cooking. Moreover, I enjoy teaching and doing volunteer work. Currently, I am a volunteer at a nonprofit that teaches English, and I have also been a volunteer in a hospital for kids, in which we helped kids have fun while they recovered from different illnesses. Finally, I consider myself a lifelong learner, so I am really excited about this great opportunity. I hope to learn as much as I can from it. I know that my stay in Minnesota will be an enriching experience for me, which will give me a different and better perspective of life. I sincerely hope that during this period, I can share my country’s beautiful culture and traditions so that my students and host families can also have a good cultural experience.
 

Marina

My name is Marina, I am 25 years old. I live with my parents in Valladolid, Spain. I have one sister who is 31 years old. I am very active and love to make plans with my friends and my family. I work as a swimming instructor for children with disabilities and coach of the Valladolid wheelchair basketball team. I like to travel and see new places, discover new places and enjoy those moments. I also enjoy shopping and spending the day in nature. While in Minnesota, I would love to travel, get to know the state, the great lakes, see an NBA game and any other sport that is famous and important in Minnesota. I would love to experience life as it is lived there.

Nathalie Flores

Hello everyone! I am Nathalie Flores. I am from San Miguel, El Salvador. The smallest country in C.A., in which you can go to the mountains and the beaches on the same day! I hold a Teaching Degree in English. And currently, I am enrolled in the B.A. in English at Universidad de Oriente and the B.A. in Education at Universidad de El Salvador. I am excited to start this journey which will bring me experience in my field. I am a friendly person who likes to make new friends at every place that I go. I love spending time with my family, traveling, and taking pictures of the visited new places. Also, I like doing volunteering activities since I am part of Toastmaster International Club and International Lions Club. I am open-minded and adaptable to any environment, someone who you can trust to be yourself. In addition, I enjoy teaching, painting, cooking, and more. I am looking forward to sharing about my culture and knowing about yours as well in my time at Minnesota.

Eloy

I'm Eloy, I'm 29 and I´m from Palencia, a small city in Spain. I have finished my university degree in Primary Education this year and I want to be a primary teacher because I love this job. Teachers are one of the most important pillars in 21st century society. I'm funny and out-going and I like to make people laugh. For me, family and friends are very important so I try to keep and take care of them. I like to spend time with them going out to play sports, have lunch or dinner or go for a walk. I love traveling and meeting new people because they teach me new cultures and traditions which improves me as a person.

Susana

Hello! My name is Susana and I am 21 years old and I am from Huelva, a city located in the south of Spain. I have recently graduated with a degree in Elementary Education, so I am very excited to undertake this experience that will teach me a lot about my work as a teacher. I am a hard worker, open-minded, easy going, and passionate about my work. I am also a person who loves to be with family, so I will enjoy spending time with the American family, doing different activities with them and getting to know them. I love reading, listening to music, hiking and being in contact with nature, traveling, meeting new people, and I really enjoy cooking. I am really looking forward to learning new things and having new experiences, while expanding my knowledge as a teacher and I hope to visit as many places as possible during my stay in Minnesota.

Andrea

Hi, my name is Andrea and I am from a small village in the province of León, in the north of Spain. I am 22 years old, and I'm about to finish a journalism degree. I describe myself as a joyful, responsible, active, sociable, adaptable, and respectful person. I like adventure, to know places, people, and to learn a lot!!  My favorite hobby is to travel and also to play sports. I enjoy playing and watching soccer, and I like watching basketball. (I used to go to watch the San Antonio Spurs when I was in San Antonio TX, so I would like to go watch the Minnesota Timberwolves at least once.)  I enjoy learning new things. I lived one year in Texas and now I am so excited to know Minnesota! 

Suana

My name is Suana Orduna, I am 23 years old, and I am from Navarra, in the north of Spain, (although during the school year I live in Castilla y León). This year I am finishing my studies as a teacher of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education. I love traveling, going to the mountains, and spending time with my family and friends. I love music and watching sunsets. I have played the flute for many years. I also enjoy reading. I love spending time with my friends. I enjoy getting to know new places and new cultures, as well as tasting the gastronomy of different places. I consider myself a very cheerful, sensitive, and family-oriented person.  I am very excited about this new learning experience; I am looking forward to getting to know another culture and a new methodology to learn from.

Steffany (Teffi)

Hello! My name is Steffany but I like to be called Teffi, I am 24 years old, I am from El Salvador, I am a calm person who likes to venture out to have new experiences in any environment, I adapt easily to different environments, I really like animals, and spend time with my family and friends. I love taking pictures of the moments when I feel happy to have a memory. My hobbies are watching movies, playing online videogames with my friends, walking, origami, reading books, listening to music, and taking pictures. I consider myself a collaborative person who likes to help others in everything I can. I have a lot in me that I want others to learn from me and I want to learn from others. I am excited to meet my host family.

Yaqi Zhang

My name is Yaqi Zhang, you can also call me Achi.  I come from Langfang, Hebei province in China. I am still a postgraduate student of Minzu University of China. I am 24 years old. I like traveling, doing exercise, shopping, cooking and eating good food. I like participating in my host family's activities and having some fun.  I like kids and pets. It is my first time going abroad, and  I feel everything is good here for me. I'd like to try new things. I am really happy and lucky to be here.

Song Yan (Lucy)

Hi! I am Lucy, and I am from the middle part of China. I love food and cooking. I also enjoy traveling, taking photos, making crafts, running, reading and outdoor activities. I want to explore more places in America and experience many new things here as well. I am always positive, grateful, happy and friendly. I want to learn more here and become a better person. I hope to make many friends here in Minnesota.

Pol

Hello everyone! My name is Pol Salinas and I am from Palau de Plegamans, a town near Barcelona. I have just finished my English studies degree at college. I consider myself a very active, easy going and cheerful person. I really love meeting new people and being able to learn and share new experiences!  I have practiced a lot of different sports during my life, from soccer, swimming, golf, tennis and hockey. I love watching series and movies, reading, listening to songs, and playing video games. I also like to travel and discover new places. I love animals (I have a dog, so I am used to living with animals as well). I am really excited to start this experience, where I am sure I will grow as a person and gain a lot of experience in my field.

Weiping Li

Hello everyone! This is Weiping Li. I am from Hunan province which is in the south part of China. This is the second year of my masters degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Minzu University of China in Beijing, and I feel really lucky to be here with my girlfriend, Achi. We are each staying with different host families, and they are getting to know each other as they give us rides to visit each other. It is really a great time getting to know these  two host families and their children. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far!