About the English Language Center

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: lisa.montoya@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-7370

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: blanca.pokorney@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-6136

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: minako.shibazaki@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-8177

Leidy Bello
Student Development Specialist

Leidy Bello is originally from Colombia and has been a member of the UTSA community since November 2021 serving in Administrative Operations and the area of Student Services. Her educational background is in Business Administration with an emphasis on accounting. She has ample experience in the management of language programs, serving in the field of education for over 8 years. Leidy is passionate about student success and supporting students from the beginning of their registration process until the culmination of their studies.   

Maria Salinas Clarke has been teaching for thirty-plus years and has been at UTSA since 2009, first as a graduate student and then as a faculty member. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Art History and Museum Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Master’s degree in Bilingual/ESL Education from UTSA. She also holds certificates in Montessori Education, English Language Arts, Dyslexia training, Spanish, Art, and Art History. Maria is a native of Texas. As such, she loves to do genealogy research and read about Mexican and Spanish history. She is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and does volunteer work for their organization. 

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: maria.clarke@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-8177

Gregory Dobie
ESL Specialist

A UTSA graduate (M.A., Bicultural Studies), Greg spent 25 years teaching ESL and Citizenship in California before joining the UTSA faculty. He also works in the museum field as an editor and educator and as a literacy consultant for library programs. 

Karlene Bannister has traveled and lived in many countries around the world, including China and Jamaica. She earned her Master’s degree from Georgia State University in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Karlene is currently an ESL Specialist with the ELC program, and enjoys interacting with students from countries where she had once resided.

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: karlene.bannister@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-8177

Karly Semenov has returned to teaching at UTSA after spending nearly two decades in the publishing industry as an editor and writer of English Language Training materials. A teacher at heart, Karly enjoys seeing students pick up new vocabulary and figure out grammar structures. The best part of Karly's job is interacting with people from all over the world and helping them to pursue their goals here at UTSA. She is originally from California--with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a minor in Spanish from the University of California, Davis. She earned her Masters degree at Wheaton College Graduate School in Intercultural Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: karly.semenov@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-8177 

Joshua is from a very small town called Sinton, TX. He came to UTSA in the Fall of 2018 and completed his bachelor's degree in Modern Language Studies in the Spring of 2022, with a focus in Japanese, East Asian Culture, and Audio Production. He then continued his education and obtained his master's degree in TESOL in the Spring of 2024, with relative work in Technology for Education and Linguistics. He has gained much experience through his program and is now in the classroom as a professor. Joshua is very passionate about language and hopes to bring many different kinds of people together through language!

Email: joshua.zapata@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-7677 

Carol Costello
ESL Specialist

Having lived in both Europe and Asia for over 20 years, Carol has extensive experience in many aspects of language learning and teaching. She comes naturally to the field of language since childhood when she lived in France, and working in Spain and later in Japan as a Marketing Manager in the Pharmaceutical Industry. In Germany, she was a consultant to Hitachi Semiconductors for a decade as cultural liaison and English teacher. The Bavarian Chamber of Commerce hired her to help prepare businesses for the year 2000, when English became mandatory in Europe. After obtaining the MA TESOL at UTSA in 2009, she has taught at San Antonio College and UTSA.

Location: Graduate School and Research Building, Room 2.116
Email: alexandra.graelles@utsa.edu
Phone: 210-458-7677