Cielito Brekke has been teaching English as a Second Language to refugees and immigrants at Spokane Community College since 1998. Cielito taught at Whitworth University, School of Education and TESOL Program and in the MA/TESOL department of Gonzaga University.  Prior to that, she also taught ESL, Social Studies and History in Micronesia for 7 years.  She is passionate about serving refugees and immigrants, promoting diversity and inclusion, and continuing to learn about other cultures and languages. Her research and presentation interests include second language literacy acquisition and hands-on teaching methods. She has conducted numerous ESL literacy training workshops in the Spokane area colleges and universities, on the west coast, and in the Midwest. She also has presented at local and international conferences, and has published online literacy curricula and websites. Cielito is inspired by her ESL students, their resiliency, motivation and hard work despite their backgrounds and life challenges.