About me

My name is Vanessa Stefania Boonstra Intriago, and I am originally from Ecuador. I spent my childhood and teenage years in Spain and the Netherlands.

I worked in the business world for various multinational corporations during my professional life. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to transition into a career as an online educator and communicator.

I have been balancing the responsibilities of an online educator and a digital communicator for the past five years.

In addition to my postgraduate studies in international teaching at Thomas More, I am also pursuing a hybrid master's degree in applied Islamic theology alongside my postgraduate studies in international teaching.

In my spare time, I enjoy practicing sports such as swimming and playing hockey for the Vrijbroek Hockey Team in Mechelen. I also like to meet with friends and travel to other parts of the world.


ABC-HOUSE &  EUROPEAN HISTORY MUSEUM

FIRST EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

I've decided to create a website where I can share my experiences as a Thomas More student. The motivation for my portfolio stems mostly from the fact that I'm also an online communicator. I thoroughly enjoy using digital communication for my daily professional and educational tasks. Therefore, I plan to write about the first semester's activities in this website portfolio.

During this first educational activity, we visited the ABC House in Brussels and the European History Museum. The ABC House was a fascinating museum where kids could explore a wealth of educational tools.  Many of the activities served the objective of allowing pupils to learn directly from the cognitive stimulation in the surroundings. Reading to children, teaching letters, numbers, and object names, and engaging them in play all have a substantial impact on their early learning.

1 SEMESTER 

1 SEMESTER CLASSES

My program trajectory for the postgraduate degree in international teaching is split into two years, since I'm also studying a master's degree in applied Islamic theology and building up an online franchise English academy. This year, I focused solely on the first semester modules and participated in several teaching activities.

Personal Development 1

By Katerina Flouraki

In my personal development portfolio, I will write about my experiences as a student at Thomas More University, including my personal development goals, skills and competencies, achievements and milestones, reflections on progress, work samples, personal mantras, and a conclusion. The idea is to produce a complete and comprehensive personal development portfolio that reflects both my journey and my goals.

English as Additional Language Didactics

By Ingrid Van Vossel.

I plan to retake the English as an Additional Language Didactics exam on May 24, 2025, so that I can demonstrate my ability to use effective strategies for teaching English as a second language (ESL) in a classroom setting and to apply strategies like visual learning, total physical response (TPR), and unconscious learning to my teaching.


Intercultural Competences in Education

By Lia Frederickx

The deadline for me to finish the Global Up Educator course on the online platform is Friday, June 4, 2025. But by combining my cultural competences with other skills we've covered in class, I've already done well, Lia informed.

#personal values

Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change.

During my studies in Belgium, I enjoyed friendly moments with my classmates and participated in Belgian celebrations like Sinterklaas at my hockey club. I also enjoyed connecting with nature and the ecosystem by going on hikes with my dog, Koko, and learning more about the circular economy at the workshops given by Mechelen City Hall. 

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