Today we’d like to introduce you to Luzmaria Renjifo.
Hi Luzmaria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I teach private Spanish classes to adults. I began teaching private classes in 2017 when I moved to Austin. I love my work; I love spending time with my students and helping them understand my first language. If I combine my years teaching in higher education and private classes, I have more than 10,000 hours teaching—which sounds crazy, but I have done the math, and it’s true! It feels so fortunate, because that means I’ve spent all those hours in a “happy place”.
I was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and studied Literature at Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá. I then moved to the US and completed my Master’s in Hispanic Literature at Yale. I began teaching when I was young. I have taught Spanish and Hispanic culture and literature at Universidad de Los Andes, Yale, and Loyola University Maryland. I spent two years teaching Spanish to a group of Qatari women in Doha, Qatar. As I mentioned earlier, I became a full-time private tutor in 20017. I love the one-on-one setting and being able to untangle my student’s specific questions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest obstacle I’ve been through is keeping my Spanish classes private practice when my father was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer. I’m an only child, and my father was the absolute best! He passed away in 2023. I spent seven months taking care of my father until he passed away. I was incredibly lucky to be able to move my entire life to Colombia while my father was sick.
I’m grateful my students all moved to online classes and stayed with me during that heartbreaking time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Luzmaria Renjifo Tutoring?
I teach private Spanish classes to adults. I teach all levels of Spanish. My colleague, María Ruiz-Rosique, joined me in 2023, and now we both teach private classes at my Spanish practice.
What are your plans for the future?
Two things: I would love to travel to Latin America and Spain with my students and teach classes during those trips, and also create an original educational product. María and I have been working on our original materials for a while now. We’re very proud of what we’ve created; it’s very effective and a lot of fun. Our aim has been to fill the gaps that are not covered in textbooks and apps. Although we’ve been creating these materials for our students specifically, it would be wonderful to offer them to a larger audience. We’re still very much in a creative phase.
Contact Info:
- Website: luzmariarenjifo.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luzmaria-renjifo-41a7897/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkWZai5YKh0GpAU5DEdjafA
Image Credits
Camilo Giraldo
