Lucía Alvarado
Founder · Applied Linguist · Community Builder · Educator
Learning languages isn't just about memorizing grammar - it's about finding your voice in a community.
Born and raised in a coastal town near Esparza, I grew up fascinated by words, languages, and stories. I studied French and English, becoming fluent autodidactically. My path was clear: shortly after graduating college with a major in Hispanic Literatures and Linguistics, I began teaching Spanish as an additional language, a passion I have cultivated with more than two decades in the classroom, complemented by masters in Language Acquisition and Linguistics, and a PhD in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Learning languages opened doors and opportunities I only dreamed of as a child. Eventually, the journey came full circle. I returned to Esparza with the mission of making language learning and cross-cultural exchanges accessible for people of all ages by bridging an international community of Spanish learners with grassroots collective projects, organizations, and local groups.
My work at Esparza Language & Community is to ensure our students achieve their language goals while becoming active members of the local community.