Monica Zarazua is an educator and writer. She enjoys engaging in food related activities like eating churros in Ethiopia.

The root of her becoming a teacher was when she started working at the Refugee Center in Urbana-Champaign Illinois. Through her work at the refugee center, she began tutoring and conducting school and home visits with children whose families were from Liberia and Vietnam. She was struck by how different some of the kids seemed at school versus home. Working with the families was also when she finally felt her time at the university had a purpose. Eventually she became certified in elementary bilingual education and taught in Richmond and Oakland, California and at an international school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Writing is something she has enjoyed since she was a fifth grade student in Mrs. Hickerson’s class in Montgomery, Alabama. She earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and is at work on a second collection of short stories.

She is thankful for this opportunity to work with students at Latitude High School, specifically students who are learning English as a second or third language.  In addition to supporting students’ linguistic prowess, she hopes to help students grow in their individual strengths and talents.