CSUEB American Language Program teacher pursues doctorate degree

• June 28, 2013 5:15am

Cal State East Bay American Language Program (ALP) instructor Anita Seralathan will take a break from teaching to pursue her doctor of education degree in literacy, culture and language education from Indiana University this coming fall. 

“I’ve always loved school and learning,” said Seralathan, 28, who has been working in ALP since September 2010 after earning her master’s degree in applied linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University.

“I came to ALP with not a lot of experience and the teachers made the working experience great,” said Seralathan. “(ALP) is like a small family.”

During her career at CSUEB, Seralathan taught many different ALP classes including reading/vocabulary, writing, listening/speaking and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation.

 “I grew a lot professionally because of the all the different classes I was able to teach.”

Seralathan plans to eventually use her education abroad to aid in the development of non-native English speakers who teach English as a Second Language (ESL). Her interest in the field evolved after a visit to her uncle’s K-12 school in south India where she saw the need for updated curriculum and teaching methods. She hopes to one day start a training program for ESL teachers or participate in educational consulting.

EM