About
Maria Oliveira
Your Portuguese Language Immersion Teacher
MARIA OLIVEIRA is a teacher, translator, and Language
Program Specialist.
Maria’s passion for teaching reflects her personal
educational philosophy:
“For a student to achieve and thrive,
BOTH the student and the teacher must work hard together in
a safe, comfortable learning environment that fosters enjoyment
of learning and an appreciation for language and culture.”
Thus, Maria’s lively, ongoing classes are popular
forums in which students of every level are nurtured by her caring
expertise. Maria’s teaching experience includes the high
school level, adult schools, and community colleges. These institutions
include Diablo Valley College, Napa Valley College, Contra Costa
College, Merritt College, and UC Santa Cruz-Santa Clara Extension.
She works with large classes as well as small groups, guides language
immersion tours in Mexico and Portugal, and provides specialized
training for law enforcement and health care professionals who
need second language proficiency.
From the beginning of her teaching career more than
twenty years ago, Maria recognized a real need for organized educational
materials designed specifically for adult learners of Spanish,
Portuguese, and English for non-native speakers. To fill that need,
she developed programs that combine workbooks with audio practice
so that busy professionals and other adults enjoy immediate results
in a non-threatening environment. These courses were further developed
within the stringent framework of her Master’s Degree thesis
requirements. Today, they are used by teachers in classrooms and
by independent learners who wish to study on their own.
Born in the Portuguese Azores Islands, Maria was
educated in Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Maria was awarded
a B.A. in both Spanish and Portuguese from California State University,
Sacramento in 1985, and an M.A. in Spanish also from Sacramento
State University in 1986. She completed her Community College Credentials
in 1988. In her other areas of interest, Maria has completed courses
in psychology, and also spent time in Madrid, Spain where she continued
her linguistic and cultural studies.
Maria wishes everyone could experience the enrichment
that she has derived from education:
“Education is life itself. Acquiring
knowledge through formal education has become the most important
thing in my life. It has enhanced my life and made all my achievements
possible.”
Because of her success as an entrepreneurial language
consultant, Maria has been profiled in numerous professional publications
and newspapers including O
Mundo Portugues and O Tribuno, and has been interviewed on
several television and radio programs. She is a life member of
the Golden Key National Honor Society (CSU-Sacramento), has been
a two-time recipient of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Outstanding Service
Award (Solano Community College), is a member of the National Collegiate
Hispanic Honor Society, and was recently honored to receive the
California Adult Education Students Succeed Award.
Today, Maria owns and operates her own language consulting
firm and is dedicated to discovering new and innovative strategies
that will engage and enrich adult learners. Whether teaching or
consulting, Maria Oliveira is an enthusiastic educator who continues
to share both the joy of learning and an appreciation for language
and culture with all her clients and students.
Recent
Awards | Mundo
Portugues Article about Maria
