
Symposium Program Details
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Symposium Program: Saturday, February 22, 2025
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM: CHECK-IN, BREAKFAST
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM: WELCOME + OPENING REMARKS
Location: Ballroom
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Session 1 (75 min)
Accountability – Telling Your Story
The art of storytelling is a skill set that is critical for nonprofits to master as they seek to keep their programming going. Making a compelling statement for your cause takes planning, organization, and the ability to touch the heartstrings of potential donors.
This session is designed for administrators of nonprofits and community-based agencies. Participants will learn the value of creating a foundation of data to support their efforts in storytelling. Technology has changed the way we communicate and we need to prepare for a new way to support our programs.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Sabrina Walker-Hernandez, Supporting World Hope, LLC (Nonprofit Management)
A dynamic leader who raised $12M for a facility in one of America’s poorest counties, launched a business while battling cancer, and delivered keynotes on leadership. She emphasizes purpose-driven leadership, sustainable community impact, and strategic corporate-nonprofit partnerships. Through her presentations, she works hard to empower organizations to build resilient teams and implement effective engagement.
Enhancing ESL Instruction with AI: Practical Tools for Engaging Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how educators teach and students learn. This interactive session will explore how AI-powered tools can enhance ESL instruction, making lessons more engaging, personalized, and effective. Participants will discover practical applications of AI for lesson planning, pronunciation practice, language translation, grammar correction, and interactive conversation practice.
Through hands-on demonstrations, real-world examples, and discussion, attendees will leave with immediately implementable strategies for integrating AI into their classrooms to support English learners at all proficiency levels. Whether you’re new to AI or already experimenting with digital tools, this session will provide valuable insights into the future of ESL education.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Dr. Irene Ramos, TCALL
With 35 years working in Adult Education, Irene Ramos has dedicated her career to advancing adult education and workforce training; serving in a variety of impactful roles including instructor, coordinator, staff development trainer, Center Manager, Independent Consultant and Program Manager. With a unique blend of experience across the workforce, adult education, and civic leadership spheres, she brings a comprehensive perspective to each initiative she leads, especially in her current role as an Independent Education Consultant.
Ramos holds a bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio. Ramos served as the Program Manager for Crossroads Adult Education at ESC Region 2 in Corpus Christi. In this role, she designed and built the program from the ground up, transforming it into a successful model for adult education in the region.
A lifelong resident of Poteet, Texas, Ramos has been married to her husband, Ed, for 36 years and is the proud mother of three accomplished children. Her commitment to community, education, and family is evident in all facets of her work and life.
Understanding Literacy in a Wider Context
The cycle of poverty and literacy are intertwined. The resources available to children from birth through the growing years will impact that individual’s ability to seek and obtain employment and enjoy a satisfying life. Many educators have a challenge: “catching up” with our clientele and the available resources to increase literacy skills to leave the poverty cycle. For all who work in outreach, this session will bring various strategies to help clientele realize their best selves.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Dr. Ida Acuña-Garza, South Texas Literacy Coalition
Dr. Ida Acuna-Garza has been associated with the STLC for 14 years serving as CEO. She has worked in community outreach to underserved audiences for over 40 years. She previously worked as a County Extension Agent for family and consumer sciences with Texas AgriLife Extension.
She is well-known as a literacy advocate through her work in family and adult literacy. She received her doctorate degree in Adult Education from Texas A&M University.
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Session 2 (75 min)
ESL Alive, Awake, and Fun*
This session is designed for teachers of English. Come along and learn about activities that can help you teach students at all levels – with a focus on fun! Spice up your teaching while the students enjoy what they’re doing in your classroom.
The session will start with learning the activities, then move on to skills practice and discussion.
*Repeated in session 3
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Karen Peiser, TCALL
Karen is the volunteer ESL Coordinator at Literacy ConneXus and the Director of ESL Ministry at Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo. There she teaches ESL classes and tutors students to get their Citizenship. Karen has 25 + years of ESL teaching under her belt and has 3 of her own workshops.
English for Employability: Purposeful Planning for Adult Learners
Join us for this session in which we dive into the research behind explicitly teaching Employability Skills to ensure success in the workplace, and discuss strategies for helping English Language Learners master these skills.
All participants will be provided with access to a free Teacher Toolkit, as well as a 3-month subscription to Mondly Workplace Learning, an app designed to help students practice English easily from their phone or computer 24/7.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Kenya Preuninger, Pearson Education
As an educator since 2009, Kenya is passionate about creating innovative and engaging solutions for learners ensuring all students feel welcome and successful in their journey. Kenya has served in roles as an ESL administrator since 2014 and has designed ESL programs for both brick and mortar and virtual K-12 public schools. She has also designed successful parent engagement programs for parents of public school English Language Learners. Recently, Kenya has joined Pearson Education in their ELL division, working to advocate for English Language Learners on the curriculum/publishing side.
Effective PACT (Parent And Child Together) Time
Helping parents create a culture of literacy at home supports the idea of family engagement by helping parents understand the important role they play in their child’s education. Dr. Rosie Baumgartner will discuss strategies and engage attendees in suggestions and ideas to strengthen family engagement.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Karla Rodriguez, Educator
Karla Rodriguez attended the University of Texas Pan American, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Wanting to make a difference in the field of education and in the community, Karla continued her studies and obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from UTRGV as well as completed her Principalship Certification.
Throughout her 12 years of service in education, Karla has held various leadership roles that showcase her commitment to student and community success. Karla has served as a Teacher, Instructional Coach, and Assistant Principal. She currently serves as a District Reading Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator.Her impact in education has been recognized at the District level by receiving the leadership “Building Capacity Award”, highlighting her ability to empower and develop the potential of those around her.
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: WORKING LUNCH & KEYNOTE
LUNCH SERVED BY: Place
Location: Ballroom
“Examining Life Through Literacy”
The tapestry of life includes life experiences that will impact a successful acquisition of life satisfaction. Poetry writing and reading can put us in touch with our strengths, times of pain and wonder, times of promise, and forgotten smiles. It makes us think. It can reach into our hearts and awaken our emotions, thoughts and perspectives. It can inspire and provide hope in a special way.

Amanda Johnston, 2024 Texas Poet Laureate
Amanda Johnston is a writer, visual artist, and the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. Born in East St. Louis, IL, and raised in Austin, TX, she began writing poetry while living in Kentucky. Her writing is published widely, and she has presented at numerous literary conferences and events. She is a 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow.
She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She is the author of two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key, and the full-length collection Another Way to Say Enter. Her work has appeared in numerous online and print publications, among them, Callaloo, Poetry Magazine, Puerto del Sol, Muzzle, and the anthologies, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry and Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, Tasajillo, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Watermill Center, and the Austin International Poetry Festival. She is a former Board President of Cave Canem Foundation, a member of the Affrilachian Poets, cofounder of Black Poets Speak Out, and founder of Torch Literary Arts.
Named one of Blavity’s “13 Black Poets You Should Know,” Amanda’s work has been featured on Bill Moyers, the Poetry Society of America’s series In Their Own Words, The Moth Radio Hour, and the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series. She was commissioned to curate a collection of poems for the Poetry Coalition on the theme Where My Dreaming and My Loving Live: Poetry & the Body.
She has facilitated creative writing workshops and presented at the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics, Hugo House, Langston Hughes House, Frye Museum, Carver Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Prizer Arts and Letters, NeoSoul Poetry Lounge, Nuyorican Poet’s Café, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pillsbury House Theater, Rude Mechanical Theater, and at numerous universities and literary venues across the country.
Amanda Johnston is the creator of the genesis – a poetic form comprised of seven poems. Five individual poems in columns create a sixth prose poem when read left to right, and italicized words that create the final seventh poem when read independently as a visible erasure.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Session 3 (60 min)
ESL Alive, Awake, and Fun*
This session is designed for teachers of English. Come along and learn about activities that can help you teach students at all levels – with a focus on fun! Spice up your teaching while the students enjoy what they’re doing in your classroom.
The session will start with learning the activities, then move on to skills practice and discussion.
*Repeated from session 2
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Karen Peiser, TCALL
Karen is the volunteer ESL Coordinator at Literacy ConneXus and the Director of ESL Ministry at Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo. There she teaches ESL classes and tutors students to get their Citizenship. Karen has 25 + years of ESL teaching under her belt and has 3 of her own workshops.
Financial Literacy and Budgeting
This practical training program aims to equip adult educators with the fundamental knowledge needed to teach financial literacy and effective budgeting. Designed for instructors of all backgrounds, this course will cover essential topics such as understanding income, expenses, savings, and debt management.
Participants will learn how to create and maintain a personal budget, set financial goals, and make informed decisions about spending and saving. The training will also address the importance of building credit, understanding loans, and planning for future financial needs.
This training includes interactive exercises, real-life scenarios, and group discussions; attendees will gain confidence in managing their finances and making sound financial choices. By the end of the training, participants will be empowered to take control of their financial well-being, fostering a path toward stability and long-term financial success.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Dr. Irene Ramos, TCALL
With 35 years working in Adult Education, Irene Ramos has dedicated her career to advancing adult education and workforce training; serving in a variety of impactful roles including instructor, coordinator, staff development trainer, Center Manager, Independent Consultant and Program Manager. With a unique blend of experience across the workforce, adult education, and civic leadership spheres, she brings a comprehensive perspective to each initiative she leads, especially in her current role as an Independent Education Consultant.
Ramos holds a bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio. Ramos served as the Program Manager for Crossroads Adult Education at ESC Region 2 in Corpus Christi. In this role, she designed and built the program from the ground up, transforming it into a successful model for adult education in the region.
A lifelong resident of Poteet, Texas, Ramos has been married to her husband, Ed, for 36 years and is the proud mother of three accomplished children. Her commitment to community, education, and family is evident in all facets of her work and life.
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Session 4 (60 min)
Motivating Reluctant Readers
A reluctant reader is a child or student with no interest in reading. This results in non-adaptive behavior like misbehaving and disrupting the classroom; educators need to find the root cause of the reluctance. The struggle may relate to a bad experience with reading, being forced to read, or being embarrassed because they are struggling readers.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Dr. Arlene Longoria, BLOOM Project
Dr. Arlene Longoria directs the BLOOM Project , a community outreach program that promotes literacy. She has also been a reading training specialist, a past school principal, and a member of various state-wide task forces on reading and school excellence.

Cassidy Martinez, BLOOM Project
Bio pending
Teaching Civics & Citizenship
Teaching civics and citizenship helps students develop the skills and knowledge they need to participate in a democracy. This includes learning about the government, the Constitution, and the rights of citizens. It also involves developing critical thinking and debate skills.
PD Category (assigned by TCALL): TBD
Location: Pending

Yoelia Nava, Region One ESC – Adult Education
Bio pending
3:15 PM – 3:30 PM: FAREWELL + DOOR PRIZES
4:00 PM: FAREWELL DAY 1
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Checked/updated 2/12/2025