Sofia Penabaz' Curriculum Vitae

• 08/04 - 07/07: JET Programme, Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. ALT.
  Taught English As a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Junior High Schools and Elementary Schools.
  Designed Junior High School lesson plans, with regard to the text, grammar points and current learning level.
  Team taught, communicating smoothly and teaching effectively, with Junior High School teachers (my weekly regular schools).
  Designed and provided handmade materials for all English lessons at Elementary Schools, including games, phonics, language pattern learning and comparison, etc.
  Volunteer participation in making fun lessons for ALTs at Seminars and monthly meetings in various subjects, including TEFL.
  Taught night classes to groups of various ablity level adult language learners.
  Sometimes taught Spanish.


• 04/02 – 11/02: County of Monterey Environmental Health Department, Monterey, CA. Environmental Health Inspection.
  Worked with the planning department in reviewing building plans to make sure that new buildings or building alterations met environmental requirements.
  Inspected various businesses for proper compliance to Environmental Health laws.
  Inspected homes and land with regard to septic and well water safety issues.
  Tested wastewater at treatment plant for possible secondary use in agriculture as part of a research team.
  


• 03/02 - 06/02: Sustainable Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz, CA. Green Building Design.
  Designed 4 to 40 unit apartment complexes for a non-profit organization.
  Some perameters incuded lofts, wet core incorporation, community areas, space limitations and green roofs.


• 01/02 - 03/02: Mann Packing Company, Salinas, CA. Quality Assurance Supervisor.
  Designed new forms for technician use with regard to personal safety, compliance with rules, Quality Control, food safety (temperature, handling, defects and appearance) and other Good Manufacturing Practices. Used Word, Excel, and biliterate (Spanish / English) proficiencies.
  Observation and documentation of procedures used in the plant.
  Provided guidance to team members with regard to actions and improvement.


• 05/01 - 01/02: City of Gilroy Chemical Control, Gilroy, CA. Chemical Control Intern.
  Wrote the Injury & Illness Prevention Program to OSHA compliance and specific to the City’s needs.
  Assistance and observation of various regulatory program inspections.
  Customer service and conflict resolution between business owners.
  Designed new inspection records and brochures, a users handbook, and did data entry for that program.
  Translated during regulatory inspections from Spanish to English and vice versa. When necessary, translated forms and documents to Spanish and translated phone conversations.
  Wrote letters, permit conditions, and reports using accounting, data management, and regulations research and analysis.


• 09/99 - 11/99: Papa’s Taverna Petaluma, CA. Waitress.
  Served large groups of 20 to 40 people in a busy Greek tavern, amidst boisterous music and dancing.


• 03/98 - 06/98: Client: Scott Whittaker, Rohnert Park, CA. Private Spanish Tutor.
  Taught Spanish and Cuban music styles to a professional musician for the purpose of his Spanish singing in a Salsa Band.


• 08/98 - 12/98: Yao Kiku, Santa Rosa, CA. Sushi Chef.
  Welcomed customers and entertained them while making elegant Japanese foods.


• 01/98 - 11/98: Liberty Elementary School District, Petaluma, CA. ESL Aid.
  Taught English, math, and science to ESL students, K �E4th grade on one-on-one and group basis.
  Taught Spanish to 4th grade class.
  Translated documents and performed oral translation during Open House meetings and small group parent / teacher meetings from English to Spanish and vice-versa.


• 05/94 - 08/94: SSALI At Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA. English Teacher, ESL Tutor.
  Instructed Sonoma State American Language Institute international students in English pronunciation, grammar, reading and communication.
  Volunteered to accompany international students on outings and aided them in usage of the English language.

EDUCATION

1997�E000: Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA.
B.A., Biological Sciences. Minor, Linguistics.
Certification: Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Yearlong series, 24 units.
Engineering Drafting and Design course, Cabrillo College, Santa Cruz, CA.

INTERESTS

Yoga, Art, Green Architecture, music, computers, web page design, languages.

VOLUNTEER WORK

Seminar Speaker on TEFL - JET Programme, Fukuoka, 2005 - 2006;
Green Building Design - Sustainable Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz, CA, 2002;
Assistant Planner - Planning Dept. City of Gilroy, Gilroy, CA, 2001;
ESL Aid - Sonoma State University SAALI Program, Rohnert Park, CA, 1998;
Gardener - Miwuk Native Plant Garden, Tuolumne, CA, 1996.

TEACHING SKILLS

Bilingual and biliterate (English/Spanish), advanced spoken Japanese Language, communicative teaching methods, student evaluations, one on one and group teaching experience to all ages, educational game design, use of the text, drawing and illustrating points, Windows (IBM) and several programs, internet and library research.

Drawing/Art Education and Skills

Education: Study of Art principles in private classes since childhood; College Art classes; personal studies in Architectural design from the age of 16; Japanese watercolor study, three years, Japan.
Skills: Some CAD, Adobe Photoshop, Rhino; Proficiency in Acrylics, Pastels, Watercolors, Oil, Clay Sculpture, Stoneworking.

OTHER SKILLS

Teamwork, customer service, some emergency procedures, public relations, scheduling and some administration, creative theory, web page design, systems design and planning.