Hello! My name is Ann Kumm, and I am from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Growing up, I was always curious about other cultures—their food, language, clothing, religion—and spent much of my time thinking that I would be the next Egyptologist (thanks to The Mummy films). While I am far from studying mummies and pyramids, I do get to spend most of my days with people from around the planet as a Lecturer of English as a second language at Old Dominion University. In fact, as of 2019, I have taught students from over 52 different countries!
Now I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life until I was well into adulthood. When I got to college, I ended up switching my majors a few times. I went from chemistry to studio art and then to English. To say I was indecisive is an understatement. I finally found what I was meant to do in an introductory linguistics course, and I haven’t looked back since. My undergraduate degree is in English with emphases in both literature and linguistics, and my master’s degree is in applied linguistics with an emphasis in sociolinguistics. It wasn’t until I completed my practicum with a incredible mentor that I even realized that I wanted to teach international students English, but I am so glad that my journey has led me here.
My husband John and I live in Chesapeake, the city in which I was raised, with our spunky pit bull Pabst and crazy cat Ms. G. Her real name is El Gato, but that is a story for another time. To find out a little more about my interests, check out the video below!
