English Department
Maria Elena Fernandez
Maria Elena Fernandez is a poet, writer, teacher, and aspiring actor. She holds a Master's Degree in English and Creative Writing from California State University, Sacramento, and she has also done advanced studies in Theater Arts at CSU, Sacramento. Maria teaches English Composition courses, as well as Creative Writing, Literature, and Introduction to Humanities courses at College of the Siskiyous.
In addition to teaching, Maria was an education consultant and multicultural trainer from 1990-1998, and has extensive experience in the field of vocational gender equity and workforce diversity at both the state and national levels. She has also conducted staff development training and cultural diversity training specific to the Latino community. In addition, she is the author of Mariposa: A Workbook for Discovery and Exploration (1995), a textbook written specifically for young Latinas and published by the California Department of Education.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mt. Shasta Writers Series, a community-based organization dedicated to enriching the cultural and literary arts in Siskiyou County.
Maria lives in Mt. Shasta, California, with her husband Ken and daughter Miranda. They spend their free moments exploring the trails, rivers, lakes, and mountains of the West.
She can be reached at 530-938-5268 or by email at fernandez@siskiyous.edu.