Vanessa Austin served as instructor and coordinator of English and Continuing Education at the Universidad Adventista de las Antillas, teaching grammar and college writing to second language learners. She has also taught at the University of Puerto Rico: Ponce. Her experiences range from teaching at the pre-kindergarten through the college level, providing instruction in both Spanish and English in many (dual language) content areas, as well as being a SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic English Instruction) teacher and trainer. Fieldwork to better understand the location of the culture of the Sa’amaka of Suriname is her primary interest. Austin has taught in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Democratic Republic of Congo.