About Dr Zaira Arvelo

MEET THE OWNER

Zaira R. Arvelo Alicea, PhD

English language expert, writing lover, and passionate educator.

The beginning

After a decade as professor and academic writer, I left academia to use language and training to empower people beyond university walls.

EDUCATOR

Over 13 years! Say what? My first passion.

I have facilitated and designed educational experiences since 2006 when I was barely 21.

I have taught pre-basic, basic, and intermediate, conversational, composition, reading, and technical English to college students from diverse majors. In my specialty area (teacher preparation), I have taught children's literature, the teaching of English as a new language, advanced composition, and the teaching of writing.

Through night school programs and government contracts, I have worked with non traditional students like unemployed professionals and displaced adults.

Using platforms like Moodle, Blackboard, and WebCT, I have also taught hybrid and online courses.

My formal training includes a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, a Masters of Art in English Education, and a PhD in Literacy and Language.

My certifications include:

Secondary Level Teacher (Puerto Rico Department of Education)
Teacher of English as a New Language in K-12 (Purdue University)
Online Teaching (University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla)

RESEARCHER

Research was my second love. It found me during my first year in the master's program.

I specialize in educational research with qualitative and mixed methodology.

I have collaborated in research projects at Purdue University and the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez (UPRM) in phenomena like: effectiveness of STEM education at the college level, elementary level scientific literacy, English for future animal scientists, and the relationship between social skills and reading.

As principal investigator, I have designed studies on literacy and bilingualism with Latino communities in the US. I have researched classroom participation and its relationship to online gendered dynamics, and community literacies and their role in children's social skills.

My credentials include:

Institutional Review Board approval by Purdue University and UPRM to conduct research with human subjects and vulnerable populations
CITI training attesting to my ability to look after participants' well-being and confidentiality
Formal training to administer and score tests of literacy, reading, and social skills

I enjoy electronic data analysis using software like Nvivo and Atlas.ti.

WRITER

Writing came into my life in 2008 when I completed my masters.

For many years, my writing was highly structured, out of my control, complicated, and the typical slow and painful process every academic knows. I published in peer-reviewed journals, institutional and local magazines, and book chapters. I employed the objective tone and lengthy syntax that characterizes academic writing.

Then, I started using a friendlier tone. Several factors contributed to this change including my experiences during hurricane Maria and my transition from academic to business owner.

I discovered that the educated writer in me had had her voice and creative genius stolen. Twelve publications later, I wrote my first Spanish piece.

Since 2017, I have published in local and international newspapers, I wrote my first children's short story, and a piece in a business magazine. None of these publications were years in the making and they have reached thousands of readers.