FACULTY

Andres Gonzales | Nancy Paolini | Kristi Ridgway | Frances Schulze | Brandon Smith | Amy Sobel

Brandon Smith joined the ESL Department at the College of San Mateo as a full-time instructor in 2005. He has taught reading and conversation but has a passion for teaching writing and grammar. Brandon also teaches in both the Writing Center and the Reading and ESL Center. In addition to teaching, Brandon is a Language Arts Division representative to the Academic Senate’s Governing Council and is a member of the Integrative Learning and Writing Across Curriculum Committee. Brandon’s classes are always challenging and humorous and create an atmosphere of community and friendship.

Brandon came to be fascinated with culture and language as a result of traveling to over fifty countries. He lived in Uganda, east Africa for three years, where Swahili became his second language. He received a BA degree in Anthropology and an MA TESOL degree, both from San Jose State University. For many years Brandon worked as a white water river guide, taught swift water rescue, and did anthropological fieldwork with native Californians. Before coming to CSM, he taught ESL in numerous Silicon Valley industries, at San Jose State University and Cañada College.