Awards and Appointments

Professional Awards, Honors, and Recognitions

Letter of Appreciation
Peace and Education Foundation
Pakistan, February 2023

Letter of Appreciation
Puerto Rico TESOL
Puerto Rico, November 2022

Certificate of Appreciation
Puerto Rico TESOL
Puerto Rico, November 2022

Ambassador of the E-Learning Lab
University of Crete
Greece, July 2022

Fulbright Specialist
The Fulbright Specialist Program, U.S. Department of State
Washington D.C., April 2022

Letter of Appreciation
Peace and Education Foundation
Pakistan, March 2022

English Language Specialist
U.S. Department of State, English Language Programs
Washington, DC, February 2022

NCTEAR – Early Career Cohort Fellow
National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research (NCTEAR)
Online, January, 2021

Certificate of Appreciation
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Washington, DC, September 2019

Certificate of Appreciation
Laurel High School and Teacher Academy of Maryland Program
Laurel, MD, June 2019

WIDA’s March 2019 Featured Educator
World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)
Madison, WI, March 2019

Service Award
University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Alumni Advisory Board
College Park, MD, March 2019

J. Estill Alexander Future Leader in Literacy Award
Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers
Louisville, KY, November 2018

Outstanding Student Leader Award
Golden Key International Honour Society – International Leadership Council
Atlanta, GA, October 2018

Teacher of the Year (Finalist – 3rd Runner Up)
Prince George County Public Schools
Greenbelt, MD, May 2018

Professional Achievement Award
University of Maryland University College
Adelphi, MD, December 2017

Alumni Achievement Award
American College of Education
Indianapolis, IN, July 2017

Outstanding Employee Award
Prince George County Public Schools
Greenbelt, MD, May 2017

2015-2016 Literacy Alive! Bronze Project Award
Project Title: Spanish literacy program: An opportunity for first-language development
Kappa Delta Pi – International Honor Society in Education, Pi Psi Chapter
Through the Concordia University, Indianapolis, IN, July 2016

Lord Baltimore Research Fellowship
Maryland Historical Society
Baltimore, MD, June 2016

Outstanding Alumni Award
Strayer University
Washington, D.C., June 2016

#12DaysofPossible When you commit to your educational goals, you can achieve success. Listen to Strayer student Luis Pentón’s inspirational story on how he was able to succeed at Strayer University.

TESOL Travel Grant
TESOL International Association
Alexandria, VA, May 2016

Advocacy and Policy Summit Grant
TESOL International Association
Alexandria, VA, April 2016

Emerging Leader in TESOL (30 Up and Coming)
TESOL International Association
Baltimore, MD,  March 2016

2016 Teacher of Honor Award
Kappa Delta Pi – International Honor Society in Education
Indianapolis, IN, March 2016

UPRAA Scholarship
University of Puerto Rico Alumni & Friends Abroad (UPRAA)
Columbia, MD, July 2015

Teacher of Promise Award
Florida Foreign Language Association (FFLA)
Miami, FL, October 2014

Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Strayer University
Alexandria, VA, April 2013

Letter of Appreciation – Cdr. Thompson
Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Leave Activity
Washington, D.C., April 2012

Letter of Appreciation – Cdr. Jones
Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Leave Activity
Washington, D.C., May 2011

Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
United States Marine Corps
Washington, D.C., June 2010

United States Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
United States Marine Corps
Arlington, VA, June 2009

Certificate of Commendation Award
United States Marine Corps
Okinawa, Japan, December 2008

Certificate of Commendation Award
United States Marine Corps
Okinawa, Japan, March 2008

Professional Appointments

Maryland TESOL Board Member

  • Past President, Mar 2019 – Mar 2020
  • President, Mar 2018 – Mar 2019
  • First Vice-President, Jun 2017 – Mar 2018
  • Second Vice-President, Mar 2017 – Jun 2017
  • Second Education Interest Section Co-Chair, May 2015 – Mar 2017

Alumni Advisory Board Member
University of Maryland University College
Adelphi, MD, Jun 2017 – Present

CAEP/TESOL Reviewer
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation & TESOL International
Seattle, WA, Mar 2017 – Present

Delegate-At-Large (Maryland Public Schools)
Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Language
Washington, DC, Feb 2017 – Present

Member-At-Large
TESOL International – Bilingual Education Interest Section
Seattle, WA, Dec 2016 – Dec 2018

Aletheia Journal Graduate Student Reviewer
Alpha Chi National College Honor Society
Columbia, MD Jan 2016 – Jun 2017

FFLA Classroom Voice – Assistant Editor
Florida Foreign Language Association (FFLA)
Miami, FL, Dec 2015 – Jun 2017