MEET THE OWNER

Zaira R. Arvelo Alicea, PhD

English language expert, writing lover, and passionate educator.

Dr Zaira Arvelo stands arms crossed
Puente a metas de comunicación

The beginning

After a decade as professor and writer, I made the choice to use language and training to empower everyone not just those college students and fellow academics.

EDUCATOR

I started designing and facilitating educational experiences in 2006 when I was barely 21. Since then, I have taught English, composition, and technical writing to university students. In my area of specialization, teaching preparation, I have taught children's literature, English as a new language, advanced composition, linguistics, and the theory of writing. I have educated non-traditional students, including professionals and marginalized adults through continuing education and collaborations with government contractors.

My courses are held in face-to-face, hybrid, and online modality thanks to my Virtual Academy. My formal training includes a bachelor of arts in secondary education, a master of arts in English education, and a PhD in literacy and language. I hold certifications as a secondary level English teacher, English as a new language specialist for K-12, and online educator.

WRITER

I came across academic writing in 2008. For many years, my writing was highly structured, complex, and you could even say the typical slow and painful process that every future academic knows. I published in refereed journals, institutional, and state level magazines. I contributed multiple book chapters and academic reviews. I matched the objective tone and convoluted structures that characterize academic writing.

But then, I started writing pieces that were more accessible. Several factors influenced this shift, including my life changing experience with Hurricane Maria and my transition from academia to the business world. I discovered that the writer in me had had her voice and creative genius stolen. Twelve publications later, I finally got a manuscript out there in my first language: Spanish. Since 2017, I have published in local and international newspapers. I achieved my first published story for children and an article in a business magazine. Not a single one of these publications took years in the making, and every single one of them has reached thousands of readers.

ACADEMIC PUBS

OTHER PUBS

Anansesem: The Caribbean Children’s & Young Adult Literature Magazine. Read it here

Business to Business Puerto Rico Magazine. Read it here

RESEARCHER

I specialize in language and education research with qualitative and mixed methods. I have collaborated in research projects at Purdue University and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in areas such as: teaching effectiveness in college level STEM courses, scientific literacy in elementary schools, English for future agricultural scientists, and the relationship between social and reading skills at the elementary level.

I have served as principal investigator in research on literacy and bilingualism with Latino communities in the United States, teacher beliefs about literacy, gendered participation in classroom settings, literacy practices in the community, and a development of empathy in first graders.

Dr. Arvelo has been featured in

El Coqui of Rincon

Entrepreneur from the west side of Puerto Rico.

Voice of Witness Newsletter

Curriculum specialist for the project Mi María: Surviving the Storm

Dr. Eva Lantsoght's Blog PhD Talk

Random thoughts on the process of doing a PhD.

Dr. Echo Rivera's Creative Research Communications Blog

Listed as resource that aids academics before the presentation design phase.

BTCPay Directory

Directory showcasing merchants, charities, apps and projects using BTCPay Server.

Shop + Hire

Directory which includes Puerto Rican professional freelancers.

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