main header picture

LCC International University > News and Events archive > Making a positive impact: Rūta Stankienė, MA TESOL Graduate

Making a positive impact: Rūta Stankienė, MA TESOL Graduate

2020-11-05

Rūta Stankienė, a graduate of LCC’s MA TESOL program, is a true professional who is making a positive difference for many people in central Lithuania. Throughout her career, Rūta has sharpened her skills in language teaching and administration while working to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate than her.

Rūta completed a BA degree in Lithuanian philology at Vilnius University. Then, she finished the English philology program at Vilnius Pedagogical University, where she gained her teacher certification. To enhance her educational leadership, she earned an MA degree in Management from ISM International University of Management and Economics. In all her studies, she devoted a special flair towards learning languages; Rūta speaks Lithuanian, Russian, English, German, Latin, and Italian. This background gives her broad linguistic and cultural knowledge.

In 2017, Rūta enrolled in LCC'S MA TESOL program and graduate successfully in August 2019. While studying in LCC’s online program, Rūta was a headmistress at St. Faustina School, where she was the educational coordinator for children and adults with special needs.

At the same time, Rūta also taught English to adult inmates at Kaisiadorys Adult School in Pravieniskes Correctional Facility. While she was working with adult inmates, who had been previously excluded from the mainstream educational system, she learned that some of them had excellent English skills. Rūta became interested in the topic of autonomous learning and methods to promote autonomous learning. Although she was not allowed to conduct her research in the prison, she was able to do research on autonomous learning in local gymnasiums. After finishing her research, she was convinced that learner autonomy is a core element for language learning success. She believes that learner autonomy should be understood by teachers to motivate and empower their students.

Looking back at her studies at LCC, Rūta commented, "I devoted most of my life to studies, by enrolling in different programs and accomplishing them, and taking part in seminars and pieces of training. LCC TESOL program was the one which made me enjoy every minute of my studies. The content was engaging, the personalities that I met were appealing, the syllabus was rational, and its delivery was excellently organized. I experienced what was to be a part of a cohesive, warm and hard-working international community. Thus, this experience upgraded my theoretical knowledge about teaching English, brought a global dimension into my personal and professional life, and broadened my worldview significantly.”

Rūta lives in Kaisiadorys, Lithuania, with her three teenage daughters.

Return to previous page