Meirel Rodriguez-Febus

Born and raised in Ponce, P.R., Meirel came to the U.S. to pursue her academic career first, at Seton Hill College, Greensburg, PA, and then at the University of Pittsburgh where she graduated with a B.A. in Communications and Rhetoric. Upon moving to Sharon, Meirel worked as a receptionist and later in the Advertising Department at The Herald, for five years. She fell in love with the teaching profession while working as a full time Spanish Substitute Teacher at the Sharon City School District. She then enrolled at Youngstown State University, where she earned a B.A. in her native Spanish, with a concentration in Spanish Linguistics, and her Master’s in Foreign Language Pedagogy. While pursuing her degrees, she was hired by YSU as a teaching assistant and later as an Adjunct Faculty in the Foreign Languages Department, a position she held for 10 years. While working at YSU, Meirel earned a certification as a Professional Interpreter and Translator from the State of Ohio, a designation that has allowed her to translate and interpret in multiple disciplines in the public and private sectors. In addition, Meirel was instrumental in developing and administering the Oral Proficiency Interview Examination for Spanish majors at YSU, in accordance to the guidelines set forth by with The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Currently, Meirel is a visiting Adjunct Professor at YSU, a Lecturer in Spanish at Penn State-Shenango Campus, and a half-day Spanish teacher at Sharon High School. Most importantly, she is the proud mom of Julia, a sophomore Environmental Science major at Allegheny College, Isabel, a freshman, Technical Theater major at Gannon University and Benjamin, an 8th grader at Sharon Middle/High School.

Meirel was the recipient of the 2016 Margaret Cunningham Foley Memorial Teaching Award presented by the Penn State Shenango Advisory Board in recognition of Excellence in Teaching.