Why People Join Torus

“Hi everyone. My name is Oxana Potylitsina. I immigrated to the United States of America 15 years ago with my husband and two daughters. Since then I have been living in New York. I have experience in engineering and architecture. In my free time, I found of various spots and outdoor activities, I like read and study. I am always looking for opportunities to learn and try something new and interesting to keep life exciting. I stumbled upon Torus and immediately got hooked! What a great opportunity to help people learn a new language and culture, and make new friends from all over the world!”

“Hello, my name is Tommy Mead and I have recently received my certification to teach TESOL from Arizona State University. I have joined the volunteer team as a way of getting experience and gaining confidence in my teaching. Also, my wife and I are full time RV travelers and have spent the last year touring the western part of the United States. I have two little dogs named Louie & Chanel too. I am looking forward to working with everyone and learning new skills to help me with my new teaching career.”

“Hi, I am Kristen. I recently joined Torus to do some content writing. I am a certified English Language teacher for over 8 years and have taught Kindergarten to University level classes. I live in Grand Rapids, MI and look forward to working with this amazing company and people!”

“Hello, everyone! My name is Maria Rosa. I come from Cuba and I just arrived! I studied English and French (a bit rusty) in the University of Havana. I have taught in the past and I love it! I think this is a way to contribute and help others so I am very excited!”

“Hi, I am John. I am aiming for a TEFL certificate from Western Oregon University. Thirty years ago I came to the USA from England. I enjoy hiking and cross-country skiing in the mountains. Over the years I have made many international friends. I want to make more by teaching English.”

“Hello everyone, my name is Angel Mae, I am a junior at Western Oregon University and I'm planning on majoring in Pre-Education with a concentration in Middle/High School Language Arts. I'm also studying to get my TEFL Certificate and I'm super excited to partake in this opportunity so that I can get hands-on experience to work with English language learners! I was born in the Philippines and moved to the US when I was young. Having my own experience as well as watching my parents try to adapt to the English language was hard as there was minimal helpful resources, and this prompt me to want to become a resource to others. I believe that I will be able to look back on this experience and utilize many of the things I've learned in my future career.”

“Hello everyone! My name is Amanda Larios, and I am a third year college student majoring in History with a minor in Linguistics. I am grateful and excited to have this opportunity to support those learning English and to meet new people! I look forward to working with you all. 🙂”

“Hi everyone. My background is in software engineering, but I enjoy interacting with people from other countries and learning about their cultures. I am currently working on my Japanese and Spanish languages by taking lessons and participating in conversation groups. I have been enjoying it so much that I thought I would get more involved by offering to help those who are learning English. This is all new to me, but I am very excited to be here.”

“Hello Everyone! I am new to Torus and excited to get started! I work for the US Postal Service, currently in the administrative offices. A few years ago I volunteered with a local church to teach ESL and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately after only one season I had to stop due to my job. I’m happy to be getting back into it with a company like this one. I look forward to meeting you all at some point😄”

“Hello everyone: I am hoping to become a new language volunteer with Torus. I live with my husband, 16-year old son and our wonder dog Maggie in NE Portland. We have lived in the same home since 1998, and I love gardening, hiking, traveling and playing tennis. Earned my BA at Linfield College in Art/Political Science and my masters from PSU in Urban & Regional planning. I studied abroad in Costa Rica, served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, and am excited to start volunteering as an English language tutor with Torus.”

“Salutations, everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful day thus far. My name is Joel Sitanggang, and I am an international student hailing from the rich archipelago nation of Indonesia. I am currently majoring in Psychology at Shoreline Community College located in Shoreline, Washington. I am deeply excited and eager to be joining the English Language Program as a new volunteer, and I can only hope to be able to share my knowledge of the English language with anyone willing enough to learn and improve. My hobbies consist of consuming a myriad of entertaining media such as books and games, going out for a morning jog, writing and researching academic papers, and roleplaying with my friends in Dungeons & Dragons. I cannot wait to take my very first steps into becoming an invaluable resource for many ambitious individuals while they continue to navigate this interconnected world of diversified cultures; I promise to try my best to fulfill such an earnest role well. Thank you so much for accepting me into your community, and I hope to build a lasting network with you all in the months to come.”

“Hi Everyone, My name is Vy Nguyen and I am going to be an upcoming junior at Franklin Highschool. I am bilingual (Vietnamese and English). I hope to use this chance as an intern in Torus to help immigrants and refugees who struggled coming to the U.S. As an immigrant myself, I had spent a lot of time translating for my parents. Knowing this, I’m excited that Torus has given me the opportunity to give back to my community as well as giving families the opportunity to receive help.”

“Hello everyone, this is Ha, and I am pre-dental student with a major in biology. As an immigrant who have been here for a little more than 5 years, I have experienced much struggle that many immigrants nowadays might encounter. Therefore, I hope to use my prior experience and skills to help other newcomers, so they can have a better time here in the U.S.

Besides, through having many supportive teachers and peers on my English learning journey, I am motivated to assist the non-English speakers on their journey, for I am grateful for the opportunities that I have gotten. And with the help of Torus, I believe this goal of mine will be achieved!

Lastly, it is nice to meet you, and I am grateful for this opportunity! 😃”

“Hi everybody! My name is Savannah Anderson and I’ll be an incoming junior at Reynolds high school. Right now I’m an intern at torus and I’m grateful that torus has given me this chance of being apart of there community and working with them. Being a bicultural and bilingual person I’m looking forward to helping the ones in the community that are trying to learn and better English as there second language! I look forward for whats to come:)”

“Hey everyone, I’m Thu Tran. I’m an international student from Vietnam and am currently studying Business at Austin Community College in Texas.

As an English learner, I understand the struggles of learning a completely different language and culture, so I really appreciate the opportunity to assist others in their journey and help them reach their goals.

I’m very excited to be a volunteer for TORUS, be a part of this fun community, and learn more about different cultures”

“Hello, My name’s Christopher. I am currently 19 years old and a junior at San Diego State University. I am majoring in linguistics with a minor in French. In my free time, I love to read and learn about new languages and how they evolve. I’m really looking forward to being a part of this program and helping people out!”

“I am Kristen a new volunteer! I'm super excited to be here and get experience in the ESL/ELD field through this program. I am a Linguistics major at SDSU working towards a Basic TEFL Certificate, Spanish-English Translational Certificate and potentially a certificate for completing the Korean Language study program. I plan on working as a teacher once I graduate and work abroad as a ESL teacher. I'm thrilled to be jumping into the field and getting myself experience working with students again!”