Mark Blevins – International Man of Education

Visiting the Mountains

Hello my friends! I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about why I’m here.

First of all I’m a career educator with experience in all types of primary, secondary and higher education. I’ve been teaching and advising for over ten years, and I have loads of experience in admissions, testing, student services, and financial aid. I work in all these capacities on a daily basis.

My career really kicked off after I got my MA TESL from the University of Central Missouri and started teaching K – 8th grade ESL and Spanish in the Missouri public school system. As fulfilling as teaching elementary and middle school was, after two years I decided to broaden my horizons and teach ESL at the college level.

Over the last five years I’ve taught all levels of ESL to people from all over the world. (I love it when a student comes into my office from a country I’ve never heard of.) I’ve also taught Bachelor’s level Organizational Leadership classes, Freshman Seminar classes and presented preparatory education curriculum to South West Early College Campus (SWECC) in the urban core of Kansas City, MO.

As an Advisor, I’ve helped guide International Students through the maze of institutional, educational, and governmental regulations that may be foreign to students from other countries. Whether looking for scholarships, processing I-20’s, or dealing with students smoking hookahs in the residences halls, I feel as if each day presents a new learning experience for me and my students.

Although I work in many capacities, I always have and always will see myself as a teacher first.  I’m here to make sure students learn what it is they need to know to be successful on every level, and that’s exactly why I created this blog.

Currently, as DSO and International Student Advisor at Donnelly College, I’m familiar with the steps necessary for studying in the United States and abroad. Your questions and comments are more than welcome here. In fact, I can’t wait to hear from you!

I believe in our increasingly global world, and I believe that learning from each other is vital to a sustainable and productive environment on planet earth. Look around, we are everywhere!