Samantha Simmons, BA, MA

I have been teaching ESL and Linguistics since 1997, and I have been teaching here at Cypress College since 2013. Before Cypress, I taught at UCI, UCSD, Cerritos College, and Mesa College in San Diego. Since I started teaching, I have worked with students from many different countries all over the world. I have taught ESL and Linguistics in California, France, and India, but I have lived most of my life here in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. I have a B.A. in Communication Studies/Intercultural Communication, which I received from Cal State Fullerton, and I received a master’s degree in Linguistics from San Diego State University.

I have also had and still have the experience of being a foreign and second language learner. I studied Spanish in high school and college. I studied French while I was living and teaching in the south of France and I consider it my second language. I also took an Italian class. I took French 200 – Conversation – here at Cypress College, and it was really fun being a student here. Currently, I’m learning Tibetan to help communicate with my Tibetan Buddhist Monk students. I know how difficult learning a language can be! Even though every language is difficult to learn, it is still fun!

I am married to a fine artist and painter who plays guitar. When we first got married, we lived on a boat – an old 1959 Chris Craft that we are still restoring. We love to travel! I’ve taken vacations and travelled professionally in Mexico, Fiji, Kenya, India, South Korea, England, France, Türkiye, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, as well as many states in the U.S. Traveling and visiting other cultures is my passion.

Student & Department Involvement: Distance Education Faculty Coordinator, LA Division Senator and Distance Ed Liaison, Distance Education Coordinator Organization (DECO) member, Member of Accessibility Workgroup, District Technology Committee, POCR – Peer Online Course Lead Reviewer, Online Teacher Trainer.

Why I Teach: I am a former California Community College graduate, and my goal when I left was to come back and be a Community College teacher. I teach because I want to see all people succeed and thrive in Community College and beyond. Helping people makes my life more meaningful. And by teaching, especially to an international audience, we are making steps toward world peace.

Fun Fact: I am a long-distance ocean swimmer, and I’ve swum past a juvenile white shark during a race in Santa Barbara. The shark was not interested in me.