Resources

Hello, my name is Rosshan Baldos (she/they) and I am a student in the MA Linguistics program. I also received my BA in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in Applied Linguistics here at USF, Go Bulls!  

I was born in the Philippines and have lived in Florida for almost ten years. I have been learning Japanese and Spanish for a few years and am very excited to join the department and be part of students' learning journey. As a fellow language learner, I hope that you will enjoy your experience with these languages as much as I have over the years.

Outside of languages and linguistics, I enjoy getting involved on-campus with my student organization and spending quality time with my cats. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me for any help, tips, resources, or just to practice your conversational skills! I am here to help, so feel free to shoot me an email anytime.

Email: rosshanb@usf.edu

Hi! My name is Alli (she/her) and I am in the World Languages M.A. program: Teaching English as a second language. I recently graduated from USF with a B.A. in Applied Linguistics. I have been learning languages for almost 10 years; language learning and teaching are my passions in life! I have been studying Spanish since middle school (8+ years) and I have taken many college level Spanish classes.

I feel comfortable tutoring beginner to intermediate levels of Spanish. I have conversational skills in German, as I have traveled there a few times and have many German friends! I would love to tutor you if you are in German 1 or 2. As a second language learner, I understand the struggles of language learning and have discovered strategies that have helped me, and that can hopefully help you too! I hope we can work together to help you succeed in your language endeavors!

Email: martinson@usf.edu

Hello! My name is Maria and I am a recent graduate from USF receiving a Bachelor's in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and a minor in Linguistics. I am currently pursuing my master's in Linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language. 

I’m from Haines City, Florida. Being bilingual (growing up speaking both Spanish and English), I have a deep appreciation for languages and language learning. I started learning Japanese during my undergraudate studies. Besides Japanese, there are other languages I want to learn in the near future, like French, Italian, and Portuguese. In my free time I enjoy dancing, watching movies, building puzzles and trying new food spots. 

As a language learner myself, I want to be an aid to help students on their journey to improving their Japanese! I can recommend helpful study material from books and apps that have worked for me. If you have any questions about grammar and vocabulary, or just want to practice your conversation skills, please feel free to reach out.

My strengths are Japanese 1 and 2, but I can assist with higher levels, too.

Email: mivargas@usf.edu

My name is Makhliyo Durdieva. I am from Uzbekistan and l am glad to teach Russian language and help students with Russian classes at USF. l am ready to assist students who have recently started learning Russian Language. I have been tutoring English and l have almost 4 years of teaching experience.

I gained my bachelor's degree at the University of World Languages in my hometown. This is my first that l am tutoring Russian language so l can only work with beginner level students. I am interested in learning various languages and l am also getting virtual Russian classes to advance my speaking skills.

If you are struggling to learn Russian, I am ready to help you! We can work together and
perform better in classes! Meeting with you and teaching will be fun!

Email: makhliyo@usf.edu

Hey there! My name is Abdubadie Qari (you can call me “Abdul”, for short), and I am a graduate student of linguistics here at the Department of World Languages. I am currently enrolled in the Applied Linguistics MA program, and I am deeply interested in studying languages and understanding the colorful meanings embedded within them. I received my Bachelor’s in the English Language from King Abdul-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia before coming to Tampa and continuing my Master’s at USF.

I am a Saudi Arabian native, born and raised in the city of Jeddah. I began my journey learning about different languages at a young age where English was the primary focus of my learning. Learning Spanish is one of my main interests at the moment, particularly because of its beautiful culture along with its shared history with Arabic.

As expected, I am a native speaker of Arabic, and I hope to use my knowledge of the Arabic language to assist all who want to learn more about my native language and culture. I am also well-versed in various Arabic-speaking cultures from the Middle East. Conversational Arabic, in particular, is one of my biggest strengths along with the beginner and intermediate levels of Arabic.

If you are interested in learning more about Arabic culture and the Arabic language, please feel free to schedule an appointment and I will gladly assist you in your language learning journey!

Email: abdubadie@usf.edu

Hi, I’m Rebekah! I did my undergraduate right here at USF in Psychology and in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in Applied Linguistics. Now, I’m in the process of getting a master’s degree in Linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language.

Learning languages is my absolute favorite thing in the world! Before my family moved to the Tampa Bay area from Puerto Rico, I had spent five years trying to teach myself English in addition to my native Spanish, and my passion for languages has continued ever since. In high school and college, I also studied French, and after graduating, I’ve been working on Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Koine Greek. My favorite things to do outside of language learning are gardening, reading, cross-stitching, and taking nature walks.

Before continuing my studies at USF, I taught middle school and high school English. As someone who has been on both sides of the language learning experience, I am very excited to help you out in any way I can. Whether you want to discuss an orthographical rule or grammatical concept, or simply have an opportunity to practice your Spanish pronunciation, I’m sure that we’ll have a great time together!

Email: rebekah21@usf.edu

Hello! My name is Josh Kennedy, and I received my Bachelor’s here at USF in Psychology and Applied Linguistics in 2020. I loved it so much that I’ve returned to get my Master’s in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English. I aspire to work overseas one day and teach English and become fluent in at least one other language.

Language learning is something I am passionate about, and as your tutor I hope I can help instill some of that same passion. I’ve been studying French since I was in high school and continued at the university level. As an avid language learner myself, I understand that the process can be frustrating. I will strive to accommodate whatever your immediate needs may be with French. I’ll be happy to go over grammatical concepts with you, or even provide a more relaxed environment to practice your speaking and pronunciation. It’s all dependent your situation. I recommend letting me know ahead of time what you would like to possibly cover when you make an appointment, that way I can gather some relevant materials to help you.

Japanese is another language that I really enjoy and, outside of language learning, some other hobbies of mine are going to the gym, traveling/road trips, and martial arts. I love trying new foods and going out to do things like karaoke or see live music as well. 

If you’re interested in advancing your French skills, please do not hesitate to book with me. Hope to see you soon!

Hi! My name is Ha (she/her) and I am currently pursuing an M.A. in Linguistics: English as a Second Language here at USF. I recently earned my Bachelor’s degree in English Language Education from Vietnam National University, and I’m thrilled to continue my academic journey here in Tampa.

My background in linguistics during undergraduate studies has equipped me with a solid understanding of the field. Whether it’s phonetics, morphology, semantics, or other subfields of linguistics, I am very willing to work with you to tackle these concepts together.

Additionally, I can support you with studying Japanese. I began learning Japanese in high school and had the opportunity to study in an exchange program in Japan last summer. As this is my first time tutoring Japanese, I would prefer to work with beginner-level students. I can assist you if you are currently enrolled in Japanese 1 or 2.

I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your language learning journey!