Graduate Students

Graduate Students and Graduate Teaching Assistants, 2025-2026

• Chinese

  Jing Li, M.S. 

  I am from Changsha, China. I hold a master’s degree in Child and Family Studies, and am now studying Couple and Family Therapy at K-State. I am a GTA in the Department of Modern Languages. This Fall, I am teaching Chinese 101 and 201. I enjoy teaching language and sharing my culture with my students! 

  Before coming to the U.S., I taught English in China for three years and worked on a podcast producing bilingual language learning programs. Outside of school and work, I love fishing, cooking, playing table tennis, and traveling to explore new places and cultures.

• TEFL & CLSCS 105 Medical Terminology

  Dr. Julia Gerhard, EH011C, TEFL

  I am a graduate student and a GTA in the TEFL MA program, who is currently teaching Classics 105: Medical Terminology. I was born and raised in Russia, and moved to the U.S. when I was 21. I have a B.A. and M.A. degrees in English studies from California State University, Chico and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from University of Colorado, Boulder. I have taught a variety of classes ranging from language courses (Russian of all levels; Beginning English II), literature courses (Russian Fairy Tales, Russian Sci-Fi), and writing (Basic Writing Skills, First-Year Academic Writing). My research interests include science fiction, postmodernism, translingualism, culturally responsive pedagogy, and metacognition in L2 teaching and learning. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, yoga, watercolor painting, and playing with my dog.

  
  Denisse Muñoz Quiroz, EH 104, TEFL/SLA

  Denisse is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Spanish and a graduate student in the TEFL/SLA program. She is originally from Cuernavaca, México. Her bachelor’s degree is in Teaching Foreign Languages, English and Spanish. She has taught English in elementary school, but has also worked with adults giving classes from basic to advanced levels. She has a CELTA certification issued by English Cambridge. She has taught basic and intermediate Spanish courses online, and created a platform for students who want to learn Spanish to connect with teachers from Latin America. She is interested in intersectionality, bilingualism and language acquisitions. She wants to become a trainer for teachers one day.
  
  

• French

  Emma Kellogg, EH 005, French

  Emma Kellogg is an instructor for French 201. She is an art teacher at the Beach Museum of Art at K-State. Her bachelor’s degree is in Fine Arts and French. After graduating, she spent two years in the Teaching Assistant Program in France as an assistant English teacher.  During her first year she taught in elementary schools in Laval and Château-Gontier in France. For her second year she taught in high schools in Le Mans. In her free time she often has an art project in the works, and loves painting, printmaking, sculpture and crochet.

  
  

  Hetty Agyemang Opoku, EH104, French

  I am a first year Ghanaian graduate student and teaching assistant at Kansas State University. I am thrilled to be instructing two sections of French 1 and look forward to a career as a French professor and scholar. My passions lie in languages, feminist studies, and 18th-century French literature, which inform my research interests. I am committed to creating an inclusive learning environment that values diversity and promotes cultural understanding. 

  Outside of academia, I cherish time with family and appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives. I’m excited to work with students and colleagues alike, fostering a love of language and culture.

  
  

  Sasha von Spakovsky, French

  Sasha is a graduate teaching assistant in French. Last year he taught all three sections of French 101–split up over the course of two semesters. This fall, he is teaching French 102. Coming from another college town in Virginia, he feels very much at home in the Little Apple. His research interests focus on cultural studies surrounding modern and early modern Europe–especially France and Spain. Outside of the university, he enjoys visiting art museums, parousing Wikipedia, and listening to his favorite podcast and music.

• German
  Stephen Kane
  I’m an alumnus of Kansas State University with a 25-year career in the insurance and warranty industry – currently Sr. Vice President for Domestic and General (based in the UK)  I’m fluent in German (EFR C1) and my next exciting endeavor is to complete graduate level work in German at KSU. Learning a language is one thing but I’d like to go deeper and understand and learn more about the German culture - Art, History, Music and Literature. I’m also looking forward to challenging myself with the work.- We’ve just moved to Manhattan and look forward to our hobbies; remodeling our house, premier league soccer watching, and travel.
• Spanish

  Roque Giler, EH104, Spanish

  I am a Master’s student and GTA in Spanish, currently teaching Spanish I. Originally from Ecuador, I live in Manhattan, Kansas, with my wife and daughter. My academic interests include Spanish poetics and poetry aesthetics, especially exploring how great verses convey beauty and meaning to readers. I plan to continue into a PhD to further pursue research and teaching at the university level. Outside of academics, I enjoy playing the guitar, singing, and reflecting on philosophy’s big ideas and the arts

  
  

  Dylan McConnell Curry, EH 105, Spanish:

  I am a Masters student and GTA in Spanish who teaches Spanish I and III. I am from Atchison, KS, and studied Spanish and Political Science at Saint Louis University. I have lived abroad in Madrid and Santander, Spain, where I worked as an English Teaching Assistant with elementary school students. My research interests include Spanish pedagogy and cultural studies, and I want to teach high school Spanish after receiving my degree. I enjoy watching soccer, canoeing, and walking my dog!

  
  

  Antonieta Morales, Spanish

  I am Ecuadorian. I worked at a University in my hometown, preparing EFL teachers. I also collaborated as an instructor in Master's programs; now I am a Spanish Master's student and GTA. I will be teaching Spanish 1. In my free time, I love listening to music, reading a book, or watching movies. My research interest includes culture, language, and diversity.

  
  

  Denisse Muñoz Quiroz, EH 104, TEFL/SLA

  Denisse is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Spanish and a graduate student in the TEFL/SLA program. She is originally from Cuernavaca, México. Her bachelor’s degree is in Teaching Foreign Languages, English and Spanish. She has taught English in elementary school, but has also worked with adults giving classes from basic to advanced levels. She has a CELTA certification issued by English Cambridge. She has taught basic and intermediate Spanish courses online, and created a platform for students who want to learn Spanish to connect with teachers from Latin America. She is interested in intersectionality, bilingualism and language acquisitions. She wants to become a trainer for teachers one day.

  
  

  Elizabeth Palacios, EH105, Spanish

  I am a Spanish master's student and a GTA. I have taught Spanish I and am currently teaching Spanish II at Kansas State University. I am from Morelos, Mexico. I studied Teaching Foreign Languages B.A. in Cuernavaca, Mexico, which focused on teaching English as a foreign language and Spanish as a foreign language. I have taught kids ages 7-12. Adults, ages 25 and above, for business English and Spanish, and I am currently teaching Undergrad students at K-State. I want to focus my degree in Latin and Hispanic literature as well as Spanish teaching and education. I would like to teach in an Elementary School after finishing my degree, if possible, in a K-12 school. My hobbies are reading, writing, traveling, exploring, dancing, especially Latin music such as cumbia, bachata, and salsa. I also like mysticism and Jungian psychology. I am a vegetarian

  
  

  María Camila Ramírez Quimbayo, EH 011A, Spanish

  Camila is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Spanish. Originally from Cali, Colombia, she earned her bachelor’s degree in teaching English and French as foreign languages at Universidad del Valle, followed by a Master of Arts in Modern Languages with a specialization in TEFL at Kansas State University. She is currently completing a second Master’s degree with a focus on Spanish. She has taught English, Spanish, and French across various levels and cultural contexts, and at K-State, she has taught Spanish levels 1-4. Her research interests include the decolonization of world and heritage language pedagogies, raciolinguistics, intersectional identities, Spanish in the U.S., and issues of language vitality, endangerment, and revitalization. She is passionate about exploring how language reflects and challenges hegemonic norms while contributing to the preservation and revitalization of linguistic and cultural diversity

  
  

  Bethany Reinsch, EH011B, Spanish

  Bethany is a graduate teaching assistant from Nashville, Tennessee and is pursuing a master's degree in Spanish. She has taught Spanish levels 1-3 at Kansas State University. Her research interests lie in phonetics & phonology, Spanish heritage language use/classroom experience, and language contact. She spent time studying in Colombia during her undergraduate career and participated in a French immersion program in Normandy last summer. She looks forward to continuing her research this semester, as well as in a doctoral program in the future

  
  

  Mercedes Quetzeri, EH 011D, Spanish

  Mercedes is a Spanish master’s student and Graduate Teaching Assistant, also pursuing a graduate certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Originally from Veracruz, Mexico, she holds degrees in Communication Sciences and Teaching Foreign Languages. Currently, she teaches Spanish II and IV in the department of Modern Languages at Kansas State University. Her teaching background includes language instruction for academic, general, and professional purposes. One of her favorite areas has been teaching Technical English in corporate environments, as well as discipline-specific English for students in fields such as engineering and medicine. She’s passionate about education and her research interests are language instruction, and second language acquisition.