Concepcion Gliesman

Hola! I am a native of the central part of Mexico from a city called Salvatierra in the state of Guananjuato. Ever since I was a little girl, I was fascinated with languages and asked my parents if I could travel to the USA with my aunt to study English as a second language. It was a hard decision for my parents to let me go to the United States and study English. I came to the U.S. when I was nine years old and stayed until I was 12 years old. I then returned to Mexico to complete junior high school and part of my high school education. Afterward, because of my interest in language, I came back to the United States for one more year to refresh the English that I had lost by not practicing with anyone – and I ended up staying here.

After graduating from high school, I knew I wanted to go to college but I could not make up my mind as to what I wanted to do. After a few years, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher just like my parents and share the beauty of the Spanish language with others. I received an associate's degree in education from Kishwaukee College, and then I transferred to Northern Illinois University where I received a bachelor's degree in Spanish and literature. I went on to teach at Rochelle Township High School for one year. I left for personal reasons (I had my fourth child!), and I took a part-time position teaching Spanish at St. Mary's Catholic School in Sycamore, Illinois, a job which I maintained for seven years.

Work and Teaching Experience

I have been teaching Spanish at Northern Illinois University for 12 years now. My experience has been at all levels including the Heritage Speaker's class and all other conversational classes. In our department, I have been a university supervisor for our Spanish Licensure Program.

Through the years I have the privilege of gaining extensive experience in the field of interpretation/translation. I have worked in jails, courthouses and schools as an interpreter, and have translated many books into Spanish. In one of my most recent projects, I transcribed Spanish language videos for Xavier University, which I later translated into English to be used in an important university research project.

Currently, I am the coordinator of the Foreign Language Residence Program (FLRP).

Education

  • M.A., Northern Illinois University, Spanish and Literature
  • B.A., Northern Illinois University, Spanish and Literature

Contact

Concepcion Gliesman
Coordinator, Foreign Language Residence Program
Watson Hall 121
815-753-6452
cgliesma@niu.edu