PLAN Board Information

Paulina Rios was born and raised in Reno, NV. She is a first generation Mexican American and a proud daughter of immigrants. She grew up speaking both Spanish and English. As she grew, she developed a deeper love for Spanish and her Mexican culture in middle school. However, as she continued her secondary career, the lack of options to further her understanding and appreciation, not only for her own culture but others as well, created a deep desire to join the field of education in order to connect students with a respect and curiosity for languages and cultures. Paulina graduated from the University of Nevada in 2014 with a degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Spanish. She is currently finishing up her master’s degree in educational leadership and she serves as McQueen high school’s World Language Department Leader. She has taught Spanish 1-2, 3-4, Spanish Literacy 3-4 and 5-6, as well as AP Spanish Literature. Paulina is a lifelong learner and loves to be involved. Additionally, she has served on many important committees during her time as a teacher, including the Heritage Curriculum Committee and the Equity and Diversity cohort. Her passion is language education, cultural responsiveness, and the well-being of students. She is currently a Spanish teacher at McQueen High School and the Leadership Advisor. She enjoys building community and advocating for students and teachers. Paulina is running for PLAN President Elect because she would like to learn from the leaders that came before her, connect with her colleagues in the state, and leave her mark on the leaders who will come next.

Erin Edgington was born and raised in Reno, NV where she began studying French as a teenager. Following a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Nevada, Reno (2008), she earned her PhD in French literature from Indiana University – Bloomington in 2013. She is currently assistant professor of French and interim chair of the Department of World Languages and Literatures at the University of Nevada, Reno where she teaches courses at all levels of the French curriculum including language courses within the Basic French Language Program and courses in French conversation and literature at the intermediate and advanced levels. She is an advocate for world languages education in Nevada across the K12 and higher education contexts, notably via her work on the board of directors of the newly established Alliance Française of Reno.

Rachel Tillotson was the 2017 Nevada World Language Teacher of the year and is a national PLAN, SWCOLT and ACTFL presenter. She is a strong advocate for global competency, social justice, diversity and the incorporation of SEL pedagogies. She is currently the Past-President of the Professional Language Association of Nevada and teaches all levels of Spanish at Galena High School in Reno, Nevada and concurrent enrollment classes with the University of Nevada, Reno.

I am a retired Spanish teacher in northern Nevada having taught 10 years at Carson High School and 20 years at Dayton High School. As a retiree, I am currently working as a critical needs Spanish  hire in Douglas County for just this year. I was a National Board Certified Teacher from 2011-2021 and was the Nevada State World Language Teacher of the Year for 2014.

From Gurabo, Puerto Rico, I come from a family of educators, my mother, Retired Principal, Margarita Viera Pérez being my biggest inspiration. I started my career as a Theatre Arts teacher in Puerto Rico, for 8 years where I directed plays, a movie and advised a dance club. In 2014 I relocated to Las Vegas, teaching Spanish for native speakers and English natives from levels 1 to AP Spanish Literature & Culture at Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts. At DSA, I was advisor to SOL and was in charge of the Annual Día de Muerto Festival. Currently, I teach at West CTA, where I am the Sponsor of El Coquí Chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and teacher of Spanish 1, 2H and AP Spanish Lan & Lit.

Hello! I am finishing my 20th year of teaching French and Spanish in high school. I have taught all levels both online and in the physical classroom and I love our profession! I know that being able to connect and network with other professionals is essential to development and maintaining sanity as an educator. I lead several professional learning communities in my district and am excited to bring the PLC and networking to the state level to help connect and support all Nevada world language educators. I believe that being a part of professional associations strengthens us as educators and am proud to say that I have been a part of PLAN and other local and national organizations for my entire career. I appreciate the opportunity to represent my fellow teachers at the state level and to coordinate our efforts to grow together and continue to develop as professionals.

Hello! My name is Erika Sosa-Weeks. I was born and raised in northern Nevada. I come from a big family. I am one of six siblings.  I am a second-generation Mexican American. I currently teach Spanish at North Valleys High School in Reno, Nevada (levels 1-AP). I am currently a club adviser for North Valleys Latino Club.  I received my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2022. I was part of the Curriculum Bridging Committee in 2022.

I was raised both in Spanish and English speaking cultures and am currently a Spanish teacher at Galena High School in Reno, Nevada. In order to align with 21st Century Learning, I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate technology and promote its use every day in my classroom. This has led me to collect a wide variety of technological resources and to aide in the implementation of these tech tools throughout my entire department and school. I consider myself a tech savvy individual and feel that the use of technology through individual tech devices and social media can promote positivity and a growth mindset in education.

Melissa Bullard has been teaching Spanish since 2007. She has taught at the university, community college, and high school levels, but high school is her favorite because of the opportunity to build stronger relationships with students and watch them grow in their abilities throughout the duration of a program. She is passionate about proficiency-based learning and person-based mentorship, as well as driving student growth through departmental collaboration. 

Tzeitel Borbon has been teaching Spanish for 18 years in Lyon County. She loves to travel with family to see the world and learn new languages and experience other cultures.