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Guitarist turned TESOL instructor headed to Latvia

Former Hell's Belles performer is now U.S. State Department fellow

Lisa Brisbois teaches English to speakers of other languages aboard Evergreen Goodwill's Digital Equity Bus in June. Brisbois also teaches at Western Washington University and is headed to Latvia to instruct students on how to teach English in a 10-month fellowship.
Lisa Brisbois teaches English to speakers of other languages aboard Evergreen Goodwill's Digital Equity Bus in June. Brisbois also teaches at Western Washington University and is headed to Latvia to instruct students on how to teach English in a 10-month fellowship. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
By Hailey Hoffman Visual Journalist

About 10 years ago, Lisa Brisbois looked to pursue career opportunities beyond her guitar and her all-female AC/DC tribute band, Hell’s Belles. 

Now, as an instructor at Western Washington University, Brisbois is headed to teach at the University of Latvia as one of 200 fellows in the U.S. Department of State English Language Fellow Program.

For the next 10 months, Brisbois will help train Latvian students to teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).

“I love teaching international students, and I really love TESOL,” Brisbois said. “Going to Latvia and working with Latvian college students is kind of a perfect storm that I didn’t know was coming.”

photo  Lisa Brisbois stands in the Town Hall Square in Riga, Latvia in August. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Brisbois)  

While there, Brisbois will teach methodologies in English language skills and functional communication with other local professors. She will also sit in on students’ theses defenses, and work with and visit other program fellows who reside in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland.

Brisbois’ experience in the field can be traced back to her time as a linguistics student at Western. She said she realized how hard being a traveling, touring guitarist with the Hell’s Belles was on her body, so she returned to school while still a member of the band.

As a student, she first fell in love with working with international students and TESOL when she became a speaking partner. In 2014, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a TESOL certificate, then progressed on to receive her masters in ESOL education from Concordia University. With degrees in hand, she returned to Western as an instructor to help other students earn TESOL certifications.

“I love teaching international students and helping students who want to learn English for whatever reasons they want,” Brisbois said. “With TESOL, I really like that aspect of helping students learn and reach their goals. I like teaching the process, teaching the theory [and] creating a lesson plan that works.”

Brisbois said the skills she learned performing in a band from 2002 to 2020 translated to her work as a teacher.


“I think teaching is kind of akin to performing,” she said. “You have to show up to class ready to teach, regardless of the day you’re having.”

Over the last few years, Brisbois and other instructors have worked to build up and expand Western’s TESOL program. Recently, they’ve begun working with international students to teach English. Her work in Latvia aligns with the new efforts at Western.

Brisbois said when she applied for the fellowship, she didn’t expect to get it, due to the competitiveness of the program.

The U.S. Department of State lauded Brisbois for her “broad range of experience in ESOL education including instruction, curriculum design, teacher training and program development.”

Beyond her work as an instructor at Western, Brisbois also helped host international youth taking English classes at the university and worked for Evergreen Goodwill as an English teacher on its Digital Equity Bus.

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