In 2026, English Language Programs proudly joins the nation in Freedom 250—Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit—as we honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. As we approach this historic milestone, we are highlighting the remarkable contributions of our participants and alumni who share America with the world and bring global perspectives back to their home communities.
This month, our focus turns to Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—four states where stark desert basins meet alpine ranges, from neon-lit innovation hubs to dramatic red rock canyons, rugged plains, and iconic national parks. Across these distinct landscapes, alumni have carried a shared spirit of independence and ingenuity into classrooms, teacher-training programs, and community initiatives around the world. Their work strengthens English language education abroad while bringing global perspectives back to their home states. Together, their stories highlight how the unique character of each state contributes to a broader vision of U.S. leadership, cross-cultural connection, and educational excellence.
Nevada Alumni
Ryan Brux (Nevada) – Las Vegas–based educator Ryan Brux serves as Associate Dean at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. A seasoned English Language Specialist, Brux has led transformative projects in Indonesia, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Egypt, focusing on empowering Access alumni through service learning and civic engagement. In Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mysore, India, he mentored alumni in designing community-based projects that addressed mission priorities such as regional economic development. In Egypt, his work centered on building educator capacity and modernizing pedagogy through specialized teacher training workshops. By fostering leadership and digital communication skills, Brux’s work strengthens global partnerships and supports U.S. public diplomacy, equipping a new generation of international leaders to address local challenges through English language engagement and community-focused action plans.
Meagan Madariaga-Hopkins (Nevada) – Meagan Madariaga‑Hopkins brings more than 25 years of experience supporting English language learners to her role in Reno, Nevada, as an English Language Facilitator for the Washoe County School District, where she supports multilingual students and mainstream teachers in building scaffolds for these students into their curriculum. Raised in a multilingual family and shaped by study‑abroad experiences in Brazil, Spain, and Guatemala, she has built a career grounded in cross‑cultural communication and teacher development. As an English Language Specialist in Vietnam in 2022 and 2023, Madariaga‑Hopkins led nationwide workshops for EMI and STEM faculty on teaching Technical Writing and Presentation (TWP), designing effective lessons, and building local communities of practice. Her work strengthened English‑medium STEM instruction and supported Vietnam’s leading technical universities in preparing students for research, publication, and professional communication.
Meena Singhal (Nevada) – Henderson‑based educator Meena Singhal brings more than two decades of ESL teaching and academic leadership to her role in the Department of World Languages at the College of Southern Nevada. As a Virtual English Language Educator in Mexico City, she trained in‑service tourism instructors through an English for Specific Purposes project designed to strengthen linguistic and methodological skills in the hospitality sector. Singhal guided teachers in adapting tourism‑focused English, integrating it into technical subjects, and presenting cultural traditions—such as Day of the Dead—in accurate and context‑rich ways. Her work supports a stronger, more competitive tourism workforce for American hotel and restaurant partners in Mexico and expands educational pathways that deepen U.S.–Mexico collaboration, contributing to long‑term prosperity and stability for both countries.
Christopher Velazquez (Nevada) – Las Vegas educator Christopher Velazquez teaches English at B. Mahlon Brown Academy of International Studies and brings a strong commitment to global engagement through his Virtual English Language Fellow projects in Burma and Kazakhstan. Working with Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh‑Turkish University, he led an 18‑week online conversation course for advanced university students, integrating dynamic activities such as mock interviews, debate, and thematic discussions to keep learners engaged across differing schedules and connectivity challenges. Supporting the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan’s English language outreach initiatives, he facilitated five‑week courses for teens in small cities, tailoring lessons to student interests—from leadership skills to classroom technology. In Burma, Velazquez moderated conversation clubs and guided learners through debates and cultural presentations, helping students build confidence, fluency, and real‑world communication skills.
New Mexico Alumni
Cristyn Elder (New Mexico) – New Mexico educator Dr. Cristyn Elder is an associate professor of rhetoric and writing at the University of New Mexico, where she collaborates with faculty across disciplines to strengthen writing instruction and support student success. With a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition and an MA in TESOL, she specializes in teacher training, curriculum development, and writing program administration. Elder has taught and trained educators worldwide as an English Language Fellow in Guatemala and as an English Language Specialist in Tajikistan, Panama, El Salvador, Brazil, and Türkiye. A longtime English Language Programs alumna and former Alumni Ambassador, she brings extensive global experience to her work at UNM. Elder’s teaching has been recognized with UNM’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, reflecting her deep commitment to multilingual writers and writing‑across‑the‑curriculum initiatives.
Jesica Nikouaga (New Mexico) – Jesica Nkouaga is an Albuquerque‑based Virtual English Language Educator (Peru) and English Language Specialist (Russia) whose work strengthens global English teaching capacity and supports U.S. mission goals abroad. A former Peace Corps youth educator, she now serves as an Online TEFL Teacher Trainer and Course Administrator with the International TEFL Academy. In Peru, she equipped Cusco’s Tourism Police with essential English skills to better assist U.S. citizens and enhance safety, crisis response, and law‑enforcement collaboration. As a Specialist in Russia, she guided university faculty and students through advanced grammar for academic and professional communication, contributing to a forthcoming university‑press publication. Her work expands access to high‑quality English instruction in challenging contexts while building long‑term institutional partnerships.
Utah Alumni
Marilee Coles-Ritchie (Utah) – Dr. Marilee Coles‑Ritchie is a Salt Lake City–based educator, researcher, and English Language Specialist whose work centers on multilingual learner support. A professor at Westminster University for more than 17 years, she has prepared K–12 and university educators across a wide range of instructional settings in the U.S. and abroad. As an English Language Specialist in the Palestinian Territories, she co‑led an intensive summer camp and virtual mentoring program that strengthened English proficiency, instructional confidence, and modern teaching practices for East Jerusalem teachers. In Nepal, she trained faculty and editors at Tribhuvan University in academic writing and publication management, supporting research on local knowledge and expanding national teacher‑training capacity. Her projects advance high‑quality English education while fostering meaningful professional collaboration across borders.
Sharon Lyman (Utah) – Sharon Lyman is a lecturer at Southern Utah University’s American Language and Culture Center, where she teaches Intensive English to international students. With nine years of ESL and Intensive English teaching experience and a master’s degree in Second Language Teaching, she brings a strong foundation in student‑centered pedagogy and academic support. From 2023–2024, she served as an English Language Fellow at Bokhtar State University in Tajikistan, strengthening teacher capacity in a region with limited access to contemporary methodology. Working closely with faculty and the new English Resource Center, she provided training in communicative teaching, digital literacy, and classroom management while team‑teaching with local instructors. Her fellowship advanced English proficiency, expanded access to reliable information, and supported long‑term educational development in southern Tajikistan.
Neil J Anderson (Utah) – Professor Neil J Anderson, a Utah‑based educator and Professor Emeritus of English Language Teaching at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, is a globally recognized expert in reading instruction with more than 40 years of experience. A former TESOL International Association President and Fulbright Fellow, he has dedicated his career to improving reading fluency and strengthening English teaching worldwide. As an English Language Specialist in Thailand, he delivered plenary talks and workshops at major national conferences and universities, advancing extensive reading and research‑based pedagogy. His Specialist work in Montenegro and Serbia includes keynote presentations and hands‑on teacher‑training sessions that equip educators with practical strategies and deepen regional professional networks. Anderson’s long career reflects a sustained commitment to empowering teachers and elevating English education at home in Utah and around the world.
Allison Wallace Baker (Utah) – Allison Wallace Baker, an educator and researcher based in Provo, Utah, is currently serving as an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) Specialist with the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange Bilingual Education and English Language Programs (Fulbright Taiwan) at the National Central University in Taoyuan, Taiwan. She holds an MA in TESOL from Brigham Young University and has taught, mentored, and conducted research across several Utah universities, including in her recent role as Writing Skill Area Advisor at BYU’s English Language Center. Her academic interests include self‑regulated learning, motivation, educational psychology, and positive psychology in second language acquisition. From 2023–2025, she served as a Virtual English Language Educator in the Central African Republic, supporting in‑service teachers with EAP instruction, syllabus design, task‑based learning, and learner‑centered pedagogy. She also provided TOEFL preparation and teacher training, strengthening English proficiency and expanding opportunities for youth and professionals. Her work supports long‑term stability by building instructional capacity and deepening educational partnerships.
Wyoming Alumni
Jennifer Uhler (Wyoming) – Jenn Uhler, a Wyoming‑raised educator and Regional English Language Officer (RELO) with the U.S. Department of State, has built a distinguished career advancing English language education and public diplomacy worldwide. She currently supports programs in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greenland, and Russia, drawing on prior RELO assignments in Brazil, Indonesia, East Timor, and Central Asia. Uhler has served as an English Language Fellow in Estonia and an English Language Specialist in Austria, and previously taught at Georgetown University and American University. A Fulbright ETA to Romania and Returned Peace Corps TEFL Volunteer, she has led teacher‑training initiatives across the globe. With graduate degrees in TESOL and Language Program Administration, she remains grounded by the wide‑open Wyoming skies she still calls home.
Ellen Kappus (Wyoming) – Rooted in Jackson, Wyoming, Ellen Kappus has built a distinguished career as a literacy and language educator, researcher, and curriculum developer. After teaching ESL in Wyoming public schools and in universities throughout the United States, she returned home to direct an Integrated Education and Training (IET) grant focused on English for Specific Purposes at Central Wyoming College. As an English Language Specialist in Chile, Ellen delivered extensive professional development in collaboration with the Chilean Ministry of Education’s Programa Inglés Abre Puertas (PIAP), reaching hundreds of in-service and pre-service teachers across multiple regions, focusing on the science of learning and evidence-based vocabulary instruction. Beyond large-scale trainings, she co-taught in Chilean classrooms, coached teachers facing the challenges of large class sizes, and developed reflection guides aligned to Chilean textbooks to ensure practical application. She also fostered cultural exchange by connecting Chilean Access students with middle schoolers from Jackson, Wyoming, creating opportunities for authentic communication across borders.
Dr. Dilnoza Khasilova (Wyoming) – Dr. Dilnoza Khasilova, President of the Fulbright Association Wyoming Chapter, is an international educator and community leader with more than 15 years of ESL/EFL teaching experience across Central Asia, Russia, and the United States. Khasilova founded the Volunteer World Language and Culture Program at the University of Wyoming and served as Director of the Adult Education Center at North Idaho College and Co‑Director of Fulbright‑Hays Group Projects Abroad. As a Virtual English Language Educator in Russia, she leads English clubs and conversation‑based courses using contemporary American short stories to strengthen teachers’ analytical skills, cultural understanding, and classroom practice. In a context of low English proficiency and limited access to different perspectives, her work fosters cultural and linguistic fluency that helps build more meaningful connections with the United States.
Sharlyn Peterson (Wyoming) – Sharlyn Peterson, an educator and writer from Sheridan, Wyoming, brings deep experience in English teaching, curriculum development, and cross‑cultural engagement. As an English Language Fellow in China, she taught extensive reading to first‑year English majors, led teacher‑training workshops, and participated in campus activities that strengthened cultural exchange and English proficiency. Peterson previously taught at Woosong University in South Korea and spent her earlier fellowship year at Yantai University, where hiking with students became a meaningful extension of classroom learning. A certified English teacher, reading specialist, and experienced ESL editor and curriculum writer, she has worked across Wyoming schools and online learning programs. Her Fellow service advanced mutual understanding while supporting Mission goals through collaborative, community‑centered English language learning.
