Well-traveled Spanish teacher at Norwin honored with global educator award

A Spanish teacher at Norwin who established the Global Scholars Program at the high school has been recognized by a statewide language organization as furthering intercultural understanding and global competence in students.

“This recognition has only been possible with the contributions that all Norwin educators have made in their daily lessons, especially now, during this global pandemic,” said Danielle Llerena,who was awarded a Global Educator Certificate recently by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association. Llerena was one of 17 in the state and among four high school teachers in Westmoreland County to be similarly recognized: Erica Shafran at Hempfield Area, Kerrie Tonet-Berlin at Franklin Regional and Katie Zalewski at Greater Latrobe.

“I’m thankful for PSMLA starting the Global Scholars Program for high schools in Pennsylvania, as many colleges and universities have this type of program,” said Llerena, who teaches Spanish 1 and Honors Spanish 4 and is in her 16th year at Norwin.

The Global Scholars program Llerena created develops global awareness and competency and better prepares students for personal and professional success in an increasingly global society. The certificate recognizes educators who have supported the program in their schools and have had scholars graduate in two consecutive years. Thirty Norwin seniors have earned the Global Scholar designation since the program began in the 2017-18 school year.

“With the Global Scholars Program, Norwin can expand the curiosities of students who are intrigued by other languages, cultures and global issues that we face,” said Llerena, who chairs Norwin’s World Languages Department.

Llerena was commended for inspiring and challenging students to become Global Scholars Graduates. They noted Llerena’s flexibility in adapting her instructional and learning strategies during the pandemic to guide students through the process.

“The program has run successfully only with the help of the Global Scholars Committee and the Norwin faculty, who teach students to be globally minded citizens,” Llerena said.

Llerena said she has always wanted to be a teacher.

”I discovered my passion for language and culture in college, at Clarion University, as well as during my study abroad experience in Ecuador,” Llerena said.

Llerena graduated from Clarion in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish education and minors in French and Latin American and Caribbean studies. She studied the Spanish language and Latin culture in Quito, Ecuador, and French in Quebec.

She earned her master’s degree in world language teaching at Clarion in 2012. She revisited Ecuador to study Andean literature in Otavalo, Ecuador, and visited one of the Galapagos Islands. She also has traveled to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Costa Rica and Spain.

With her travels to many Spanish-speaking countries, Llerena said she has been able to tell her students a variety of stories about her experiences. She said she is always sharing her cultural and linguistic experiences during class discussions.

“I find it engages them more in the lesson. They seem to always want to hear more about those unique experiences and it encourages meaningful discussion in the classroom, which, in turn, teaches empathy towards other cultures,” Llerena said.

The high school received a certificate bearing her name. The PSMLA certification is valid for two years, after which teachers will be eligible to again receive this designation.

“I have been continually impressed with Mrs. Llerena’s driving commitment to excellence in providing students with opportunities to learn more about global awareness,” said Norwin Superintendent Jeff Taylor.