Tiffany Larson may be an accomplished English teacher at El Dorado High School (EDHS), but she didn’t always know what she wanted to do with her life. She grew up in Michigan, in a small town with just 1,200 residents. Although her mother was a teacher, Larson originally went to college thinking she would become a nurse. Then she started working part-time at a writing center and quickly discovered she had a talent for helping others learn. Soon after, she changed majors.  

After graduating, Larson spent a year as a reading specialist at an elementary school, an experience that made her a strong advocate for literacy education for all students, including English language learners (ELL). “Every kid deserves an education,” she says, explaining that many children without mastery of the language are placed in English-language-only classes and expected to succeed. To address this issue, Larson recently applied for—and won—a prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching granted by the U.S. Department of State. Early next year, she will fly to Finland to research their aid in language acquisition for immigrant and refugee students who are able to access core curriculum, and their successful strategies for integrating non-native speakers into their school system. She hopes to later apply her insights to helping ELL students throughout the El Dorado region and beyond. She also plans to continue doing her best to inspire kids to find their passion and pursue it, as she once did. “I love inspiring kids—not just to be better writers—but to pursue bigger goals and attempt to achieve them,” she shares.

 — Amber Foster // Photos by Dante Fontana.