Maria Kotsaftis

mkotsaft@sdccd.edu.
 

Pina Sylvers    jsylvers@sandiego.edu

I was born in Italy and learned English by the “sink or swim” method in a New York public High School. It was difficult, but in retrospect I am glad that I was forced to immerse myself in the new language which I loved right away. Thanks to the New York public libraries I was free to read widely in both Italian and English. New York was my language lab.

I have studied in Italy, France and the United States. My interests have always been interdisciplinary and multicultural. I have a Masters degree in French and Italian from Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) and a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford University. I continued with my studies in French and Italian for another two years and I also have an ABD (all but dissertation) in philosophy from UCSD.

I identify the most with my City College students who come from varied backgrounds and cultures.  Having been the first person in my family to go to College, I understand the problems that can interfere with our students’ aspirations. I often share different aspects of my life’s story with my students. Although I did not come from a privileged family (my parents never learned to speak English), I was given one important gift: I was allowed to pursue my search for knowledge. I am now dedicated to transmit this gift to my students and to show by example the joy of learning.

Besides teaching, some of my other interests are:

• Being in nature (walking, hiking)

• Traveling

• Reading widely, not only in my disciplines

• Listening to music (all types)

• Learning everything I can about language in general. The miracle of language is endlessly fascinating.

• Learning new languages

• Learning about Native American cultures and reading Native American writers

Mirella Heidrich

mheidric@sdccd.edu