Full-Time Faculty
Mary Gross, Department Chair
Mary began her higher education as a student of Mount San Antonio Community College in Walnut, California. She then earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Cal Poly Pomona University, and her Master of Science in TESOL Education from Cal State University Fullerton where she was awarded the Outstanding MS Candidate in TESOL. She also holds a Certificate in Online Teaching from the UCLA.
In the 1980s, Mary taught Academic ESL Writing, Reading, and Listening/Speaking at Cal Poly University and local community colleges in the Los Angeles area. Upon moving to San Diego in 1993, Mary joined MiraCosta Community College as an Associate Faculty member where she taught all of the ESL course offerings as well as served as the Associate Faculty Representative to the Academic Senate.
In 1999, Mary attained a full-time position at San Diego Miramar College where she taught both English and ESL. She was a faculty leader in ESL program revision and development as well as served as the Team Leader for General Education course development for SDCCD Online.
Mary was thrilled to return to MiraCosta in 2005 as the Lead Instructor for the Credit English as a Second Language Program and is dedicated to helping ESL students succeed in college and meet their academic, personal, and vocational needs.
Associate Faculty
Sou Lackkaty
Sou was born in Vientiane, Laos. She started her schooling in RoiEt, Thailand and continued her education in the United States. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts degree from Ohio University in Linguistics with emphasis in TESOL. In 2005, Sou went to Chile as a Fulbright Fellow and worked with the Universidad de Atacama.
Sou enjoys learning and teaching languages. She speaks, reads, and writes five languages. For the past 12 years, Sou has taught ESL and various other subjects with the San Diego Community College District in San Diego, California, The Northern Jiaotong University in Beijing, China, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and Universidad de Atacama in Copiapo, Chile. Currently, Sou is a part-time instructor with MiraCosta College and UCSD's ELI Program.
It is Sou's love for continued/lifetime learning and interest in peoples, places, languages, cultures, and customs that has motivated her to want to share this love and interest with others. Sou hopes to continue her lifelong "dream job" as a teacher who shares and inspires her students for the love of learning; the love of knowledge.
Emily Packer
Emily Packer grew up on the East Coast, was educated in the Midwest, and currently works and lives in the Golden State. After graduating from Miami University (OH) with a B.A. in English, Emily traveled for three years, which included living and teaching in Xi’an, China! It was here that she discovered her passion for teaching and gained a true appreciation of different cultures and walks of life.
After returning to the States, Emily moved to CA where she earned her M.Ed. in TESOL from the University of San Diego. As a graduate student, Emily researched and studied the effects of English being viewed as an International Language (EIL) in our classrooms and world. Since graduation, Emily has presented her findings at various conferences throughout California and continues to implement her understanding of EIL within her teaching practice.
Outside of the classroom Emily is the Executive Director for a nonprofit organization, Trek to Teach, which focuses on bringing English to rural Himalayan villages in Nepal. She also continues to work closely with USD as a professor, mentor teacher, and university liaison to the graduating M.Ed. TESOL students. In her free time, Emily enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and visiting nearby National Parks.
