Education and Biography

B.S., M.A., Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Professor Kuusisto has taught in Minnesota, New York, Mexico and California for many years. The wide diversity of students, faculty and subject matter make City College her favorite locale. She has taught all levels of University Spanish: grammar, culture, civilization, conversation and literature.

She is also an "aficionada" of international travel and finds Latin America, Spain and Asia particularly compelling. Her latest journeys have included Oaxaca, Mexico, China, Thailand and Peru. See Peru images.  Plans are set for a journey to Uruguay and Buenos Aires in summer of 2006. Dedication to international study has been a constant in Sharyn's career. She served as Director of International Studies at the college level in Minnesota and contributed three years at CCSF on the Asian Infusion Committee. Professor Kuusisto will continue in the role of coordinator of the CCSF summer Spanish program in Oaxaca, Mexico for 2007.

Professor Kuusisto is fascinated by the inseparability of language and culture. In her classes, she encourages the students to explore Carlos Fuentes' definition of "culture" as one's way of seeing the world, of eating, dressing, working, loving, imagining and communicating. Students explore Hispanic culture in oral presentations in her courses. This provides an avenue for students to develop themes of personal interest as they advance their communication skills in Spanish. In the area of grammar, students explore how grammar "imposes a line of words on a line of feeling." There is a concern to personalize the study of language, so that it becomes an expressive "tapestry" of life.

In addition to Sharyn's life-long passion for teaching, inspirational activities abound in her life: nature walks, meditation & Reiki practices; spiritual, personal development, literary texts, museum visits, and nurturing time with friends, family and cat companions. An area of keen interest is the study of diverse cultural texts which explore the power of the mind to transform our daily experience. She recommends Don Miguel Ruiz' books, "The Four Agreements" and "The Mastery of Love."