Ilka Cordova

K- 5th Grade Spanish

ICordovastmcsnc.org

My name is Ilka Mercedes Romero de Cordova. I was born in Panamá City, Rep. of Panamá, in Central America. I am the first daughter to Gilma and Dr. Ignacio Romero II. I have three sisters and two brothers. I also have a wonderful family, my husband Antonio, two stepchildren, and our son Christian who attended St. Thomas More Catholic School. My first language is Spanish, and I learned English writing and reading when I was in the Pan-American Institute, an Elementary and Secondary private bilingual school in Panama. I also studied English in Canada after graduating from High School, where I lived for 4 years. When I went back to Panama, I finished my Bachelor in Banking and Finance and worked as an Administrative Assistant and a Financial Analyst for more than 10 years. During this same time, I taught English to younger students part-time. At the beginning of 2002, my life took an unexpected shift. I decided to come to the USA to visit my sister in 2002, met my husband, and married him two years later. Due to the need of Spanish teachers in West Virginia, where my husband was stationed with a military unit there, I went back to study and completed a Master’s in Foreign Language-Spanish at West Virginia University. I started teaching for WVU and was the Assistant-Coordinator of the Spanish III Level, then taught at WVSU part-time. My love for the career only increased and I went back to school to obtain the credits to become a licensed schoolteacher. Once I earned the certification to teach Pre-Kindergartner to Adult, I taught in a high school outside of Charleston, WV for 3 years. My husband retired, we came back to NC, and I worked for the Wake County Public School System for one year.

I was raised Catholic and my admiration for Virgin Mary, the mother of God, sparked the idea to apply for work at a Catholic school. I was hired in 2012 and taught Spanish to middle school students for my first 3 years, and now teach elementary students. It had been the best experience of my professional life. I joined St. Thomas More Church and have been working with the Hispanic ministry since then. Besides loving to spend time with my family, travel, and dance, I love teaching in a God-centered environment. I feel very blessed with this call. I am a happy Spanish teacher working for a great school, St. Thomas More School, “reaching minds, touching hearts, and shaping souls”.