Mary Roessel Engel grew up in Webster Groves, MO and graduated from Macalester College, St. Paul, MN with a double major in Spanish and Russian Studies. For over 20 years she taught Spanish in the high schools in Bismarck, ND and worked with exchange students from Latin America as they struggled to learn English well-enough to function at school. She pursued her interest in ESL/ELL by taking graduate courses at the University of North Dakota and for eight years was the principal teacher for adult refugees and immigrants through the Adult Learning Center in Bismarck. Since retirement, she has worked as a volunteer both at the ALC and in her home.