For the past 15 years, Therezita Ortiz has served as a full-time faculty member for St. Petersburg College (SPC). Throughout her career, she has taught over 155 online courses. As a professor for the College of Computer & Information Technology (CCIT) department, she has taught courses such as CTS 2106 Fundamentals of the LINUX/UNIX Operating Environment, CNT 1000 Local Area Network Concepts, CTS 2321 Linux System Administration I and CTS 2322 Linux System Administration II, all online.
Ortiz received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Science from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She also received Microsoft certificates and is currently CompTIA Network+ certified. Prior to serving as an instructor, she has served as a Peer Reviewer/Master Librarian for MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) from 2000-2005, as a course developer for a National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Linux Curriculum for delivery at the state and national level, as well as on an Advisory Group for a Hispanic Outreach Center in the Tampa Bay area.
Ortiz said that one of the most touching moments in her career took place about ten years ago when her students were introduced to web-based tools such as “people finder.” One of the students told Ortiz that she was able to find her husband’s long lost father using this tool. This was a joyous occasion for the student since the search spanned many years. To her surprise, her father-in-law was right here in Florida. She emailed Ortiz mid semester to thank her for aiding in finding her family member. “That truly made my day,” Ortiz said.
Apart from teaching, Ortiz enjoys WWII history, dancing, vintage glass art, as well as diverse cultures and traveling. She has had the opportunity to travel to approximately 21 countries spanning three continents. Commenting on the fulfillment that teaching brings, Ortiz concluded, “Our profession not only changes people’s lives from an academic and professional point-of-view, but also from a personal point-of-view. This is why I love what I do.”