This is me...

My name is Natyeli. Although I was born in Acapulco, Mexico, I grew up in St. Petersburg, FL. English was still my first language and I have stuggled to reestablish my Mexican roots. Aside from the outward appearance...I'm an American girl for sure. I chose UCF because I wanted to explore a new city and had no idea what I was interested in as a career. After changing my major a couple times I found I had the most passion for teaching and being in the classroom. In particular, I became very interested in teaching ESOL elementary classes. After exploring other majors, taking a few classes in which I had little to no interest at all, I landed on Interdisciplinary Studies. The major incorporated everything I enjoyed and kept a lot of the credit hours I had already completed. My focus is on Elementary Education and Psychology with a minor in Spanish.

Now more than ever, I can finally see what I want for the future. Teaching elementary school students is the goal but I want to travel as much as possible. My immediate plan is to teach English abroad for at least a year. Then I will ultimately want to be certified to teach ESOL classes in the U.S. preferably somewhere new. Teaching on military bases around the world and doing some volunteer work also sounds appealing but I'm taking it one day at a time for now.