Astrid Emily Francis is a nationally recognized English as a Second Language teacher at Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. She serves students at various English proficiency levels. Emily is originally from Guatemala and her experience as an English Language Learner inspired her to become an ESL teacher. This affords her a deep understanding of the challenges her students must overcome to succeed. Emily earned a BA in Spanish and a MAT in ESL from UNC-Charlotte. She serves as a professional development facilitator, motivational and keynote speaker. Emily is part of UNC-Charlotte College of Education’s Advisory Board. Emily served as teacher liaison to the Cabarrus County Board of Education as a district Teacher of the Year in 2016.
Emily is the author of If You Only Knew: Letters from an Immigrant Teacher.
As a leader, Emily’s focus is to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.