Elenita Irizarry Ramos Ed.D.

e-mail: elenita.irizarry@upr.edu
Education

2019 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras| Ed.D. Curriculum and Teaching
Chair: Dr. Kevin Carroll Ph.D.
Committee members: Dr. Annette Lopez & Dr. Rebecca Martinez
2015 University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez| M.A. English Education
Thesis: Breaking Social & Language Barriers: Undergraduate
Student Mentorship at a Foster Care Institution in Puerto Rico |
Chair: Dr. Rosita L. Rivera Rodriguez Ph.D.
2012 University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez| B.S. Biology

Major Fields of Research Interests

My research uses qualitative methods to examine English teachers understanding of

resilience among English language learners after Hurricane María. I have also employed
quantitative methodologies to research preservice teachers’ perceptions of diversity in the
classroom. I am specifically interested in evaluating, creating and redesigning curricula
for bi/multilingual educational contexts ranging from early emergent bilinguals in
primary school to post-secondary multilingual settings. My research has mainly been
focused on Caribbean contexts, specifically Puerto Rico.

Assistantships and Awards

2018 Indiana University | Education Graduate Scholars Program

Selected to work full-time on dissertation, offer talks about my research
topic and, in a classroom space, share my experiences as a teacher in
Puerto Rico post hurricane María.
2016 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras| Academic Excellence Scholarship
Awarded to awarded to high achieving students within the top 5%.
2015-2017 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras| Graduate Research Assistantship
I coordinated an interdisciplinary research team from the University of
Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras and Metropolitan State University of Denver,
Colorado. I specialized in quantitative and qualitative research methods
and design.
2012-2015 University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez| Graduate Teaching Assistantship
Awarded to high achieving students who wish to obtain experience in
university teaching.

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Teaching Experience
2019 – Adjunct Professor | Department of Graduate Studies UPRRP
Present Taught EING 6565 Advanced Seminar: The Principles of Learning and
Teaching English as a Second Language in Fall 2019. Currently teaching EING
6575 Teaching Techniques in English Grammar and Composition and EING
6240 Advanced Methods for the Teaching of Oral English to Speakers of Other
Languages in the spring semester of 2020. I designed my courses guided by the
master syllabus and responding to students’ needs. I also have developed
alternate assessments in the event of prolonged power outages.
2018 – English Language Arts Teacher | Episcopal Cathedral School
Present Currently teaching grammar, mechanics and usage of the English language to
students from grade levels 7-12; redesigning the 10-12 curriculum to reflect
current trends in education research; assessing students’ English language
proficiency.
2017-2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant| Methods and Techniques for teaching Grammar and
Composition of English EING 6575
Created and assisted in the development of instructional materials for graduate
course. Also provided feedback on students’ work. Attended course coordination
meetings.
2016 Guest Lecturer | Introduction to Social Sciences CISO 3121
Offered a lecture on the scientific method from both a positivist and anti-
positivist perspective. Also discussed the various qualitative methodologies used
in social sciences.
2015 Course Coordinator Community Experience – INTD 3995
I coordinated scheduling of over 150 undergraduate college volunteers,
extracurricular activities for 26 foster children between the ages of 0 – 9 years. I
also established liaisons with local hospitals and businesses to secure funding for
operational costs of a local foster care institution Hogar Jesús de Nazaret.
2014 Instructor of Record Basic English II – INGL3102
I taught INGL-3102 which is the second English course which students from the
basic track must take as a graduation requirement. 100% of students passed
course.
2014 Instructor of Record Reading & Composition II – INGL3202
I taught INGL-3202 which is the final English course which students from the
basic track must take as a graduation requirement. 100% of students passed
course.
2013 Instructor of Record Intermediate English – ING3103
I taught Intermediate English 1, which consists of analysis of selected readings,
such as essays, fiction, poetry or drama, and practice in writing compositions
with attention given as needed to grammar and idiomatic expressions. 100% of
students passed course.
2013 Instructor of Record Reading & Composition I – INGL3201
I taught INGL-3201 which is the third English which students from the basic
track must take as a graduation requirement. 100% of students passed course.

Work Experience

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2019 Curriculum Designer and Evaluator | Episcopal Cathedral School
Evaluating and redesigning all school curricula from grades K-12.
Aligning course offerings with Middle States Commissions on Elementary
and Secondary Schools accreditation standards.
2017 Education Consultant| Caras con causa
Assisted in the strategic planning of the education division; researched
funding opportunities; curriculum design; coordinated afterschool youth
programs in Guaynabo & Cataño. Responsible for managing and
delivering key projects related to ConnectRelief application within agreed
schedules, budgets and cost objectives. Assisted with correspondence
between donors and recipients. Established, tracked, and maintained
project schedules. Monitored new project information as it emerged.
Tracked project deliverables using appropriate tools. Assessed project
issues and then developing solutions.
2015 Curriculum Specialist & Content Creator| C3tec: Caribbean Science and
Technology Center
Designed more than 50 biology experiments for grades K-12. Conducted
curriculum evaluation of all education materials created through C3tec’s
Education Program. Created an in-house exhibit catering to Early
Childhood visitors. Produced Curricular materials for teachers. Directed,
Wrote and Executive Produced a C3tec social media campaign. Created a
Science Night in collaboration with Warner Bros. Puerto Rico to promote
Wonder Woman. Offered interactive guided tours to visitors.

Conference Presentations

2019 Paper Presentation: ¿Qué será de mi Borinquen, cuando llegue el temporal?

Puerto Rican English Teachers’ Perception of Resilience in the Aftermath of
Hurricane María. Society for the Anthropology of North America 2019 Spring
Conference. San Juan, PR.
2018 Paper Presentation: English Teachers’ Perception of Student Resilience in the
Aftermath of Hurricane María. 2018 PRTESOL 45th Annual Convention. Gurabo,
PR.
2017 Paper Presentation: Addressing Classroom Diversity Competency: A Cross-
Cultural Survey of Pre-Service Candidates Perceptions in Puerto Rico and
Colorado. Seventeenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations,
Communities & Nations, July 27. Toronto, Canada
2017 Paper Presentation: Wonder Woman: Promoting Gender Equality through Social
Reconstructionism, Critical Pedagogy, TESL, & Pop Culture. International
Society for Language Studies: Intersections of Peace and Language Studies. June
16. Hawaii, USA

Conference Presentations (Continued)

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2017 Estudio transcultural de dos programas de formación de maestros acerca de su
preparación para atender la diversidad en el salón de clases. XIV Congreso
puertorriqueño de investigación en la educación. March 9. San Juan, PR.
2016 From Slacktivism to Activism: Engaging Undergraduate Student in Community
Service through Facebook. XVII Encuentro Internacional EducaVirtual. June 20.
San Juan, PR.
2015 From the Me Generation to the We Generation. TEDxUPRM. December 5.
Mayagüez, PR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSTMwe3IVaQ
2015 How to Write a Personal Statement. Future Scientist Seminar. December 12.
Mayagüez, PR.
2014 Evaluating Children’s Banned Books. PRTESOL 41st Annual Convention.
November 15. Ponce PR.
2013 Flipping the ESL Classroom: How and Why? PRTESOL 40th Annual Convention.
Aug. 25. San Juan, PR.
2012 Breaking Social and Language Barriers: Providing Student Teacher Mentoring to
Underprivileged Children at a Foster Care Institution in Puerto Rico.
International Society of Language Studies. June 22. San Juan, PR.
Publications
Irizarry-Ramos, E. and Carroll K.S. (In-Press). Puerto Rican English Teachers’ Perception of Student
Resilience in the Aftermath of Hurricane María. In H. Reinders, N. Roberts, & B. A. Carter (Eds.)
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of the Caribbean
Irizarry-Ramos, E. (2020). Puerto Rican English Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Resilience in
Extraordinary Times. Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education 9(1)
Vega, E., Lopez, A., Bonilla-Rodríguez, V.; Alvarez, C., Irizarry, E., Vigil, P., Sanjurjo, C., Perry-
Evenstad, J. (2018). Addressing Classroom Diversity Competency: A Survey of Pre-Service
Candidates’ Perceptions in Puerto Rico. The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations,
Communities, and Nations: Annual Review, 18(1), 1-18.
Irizarry-Ramos, E. (2016). Investing in Our Future by Investing in Our Teachers [Foreword]. In
Professional Development for English Teachers of 21st Century Learners: Enticing ESL Students
to Acquire Communicative Competence through Arts and Technology (pp. 49-50). San Juan, PR:
Universidad de Puerto Rico.
Service Committees
2016-2017 Graduate Student Representative| Student Affairs Committee
2015-2016 Class President| UPRM Graduating Class of 2015
2015-2016 Conference Steering Committee Member| XIV Congreso puertorriqueño
de investigación en la educación
Languages
English and Spanish – Excellent Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Fluency

Featured in:
The Colegio Blogporter- UPRM Student newspaper
If you have taken a basic English course at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez recently, you
probably have met, heard about, or seen Elenita Irizarry, a graduate teaching assistant of the
Department of English. There is a spark that shines in certain people, and Elenita is undoubtedly
one of them. https://engl3268.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/teaching-to-make-a-difference/

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