As a child, Garcia-Fernandez watched as both his parents along with his aunts were all English teachers. Garcia-Fernandez was born and raised in Murcia, a city in the southeastern region of Spain. He traveled all over the world studying at various prestigious universities and his newest journey brings him to Trinity.
Since Garcia-Fernandez grew up with a family of English teachers, he became immersed in both the language and the American culture.
“That made me kind of an English nerd, to always be, you know, trying to learn the language a bit more and explore more about the culture,” Garcia-Fernandez said.
After receiving a Masters in Spanish from West Virginia University, Garcia-Fernandez went on to earn a Bachelors in English studies from Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia, located in Spain. He spent his last year of bachelor’s studying in the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
After Garcia-Fernandez finished his bachelor’s in Germany, this passion for English culture drove him to experience America for himself. This took place two years ago in West Virginia, where he became a teaching assistant in Spanish.
“I grew up watching all the shows on TV and movies from Hollywood and all the different parts of the United States always having a reference,” Garcia-Fernandez said. “I was really excited to come here and to explore and you know, the new people here and it was really worth way more exciting than I thought. So I feel really fortunate to have the chance to come here.”
Excitement was not the only feeling Garcia-Fernandez felt when he moved to the United States.
“It was really hard.” Garica-Fernandez said. “Especially from Spain to the United States. It looks that it is not that different at the beginning. But then it’s so different [from Spain], and everything is so much bigger. It’s a bit more difficult sometimes in some things that I’m used to, but it was a really positive change.”
Now that he has the experience from teaching at both Trinity and West Virginia University, Garcia-Fernandez believes that teaching at Trinity is more enjoyable.
“I would say, this is way more fun than working than teaching in University,” Garcia-Fernandez said. “Here the students I feel are really more curious and interested in learning.”
