BATTLE CREEK, MI, October 08, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Rachel Sharma has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Currently serving as a multilingual teacher at Kalamazoo Public Schools since 2024, Ms. Sharma has established a prominent international career in education. In her role, she plans daily lessons for nine different classes, ensuring comprehensive curriculum coverage across multiple grade levels. Her responsibilities include managing a demanding schedule of push-in and pull-out instruction for English learners, utilizing specialized curriculum and her expertise to address language challenges unique to students' home languages. Thanks to her extensive experience teaching around the world, she is adept at identifying and supporting common linguistic difficulties such as letter orientation and adjective placement for Arabic-speaking students.

Ms. Sharma teaches approximately 80 students each week, dividing her time between two schools and providing both co-teaching and individualized support. Her primary objective is to help students achieve a 4.8 composite score on the WIDA English language proficiency test by the end of fifth grade, preparing them for continued success in middle school. In 2024, seven of her students successfully tested out of the multilingual program, a testament to her effective instruction.

Prior to reaching her current role, Ms. Sharma taught at Riverside Elementary School in Michigan from 2022 to 2024. There, she continued her commitment to supporting English learners through targeted sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) methods as well as collaboration with classroom teachers.

From 2014 to 2020, Ms. Sharma served as an English language instructor at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center under the United States Department of Defense. During her tenure of over six years, she played a pivotal role in teaching English to soldiers, officers and government officials from around the world. Her initial responsibilities included instructing students who had qualified in their home countries to improve their English proficiency in the United States before advancing to military training or higher education programs such as captain's career courses or war college. Working closely with high-ranking officers to enhance their language skills and train them in instructional methodologies, she contributed significantly to both international military cooperation and educational advancement.

Among Ms. Sharma's proudest achievements during this period was being selected to help launch the first-ever military English school in Qatar, where she was one of the first female instructors on a military base and among the first women invited to a military graduation ceremony. She also taught a Nigerian major who became the first woman in her country to achieve that rank and attend war college; this student was later recognized by Melania Trump with an international women's award. Her impact extended beyond instruction — she traveled internationally to assist with opening schools in Dammam, Saudi Arabia and Doha, Qatar.

Between 2010 and 2012, Ms. Sharma worked as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher and curriculum designer for Woospeak, where she developed instructional materials tailored for diverse learners. From 2009 to 2011, she held the position of senior English instructor with responsibilities in curriculum design at Cactus Communications, further enhancing students' writing skills while collaborating with marketing teams in Japan to expand the company's client database. Her international experience also includes serving in Japan and Istanbul, Turkey, before starting her time in Saudi Arabia.

Ms. Sharma's outstanding contributions to international education have been recognized through several honors and accolades over the years. While working abroad, she received formal acknowledgments from host countries and commanding officers who organized ceremonies and presented her with gifts for her efforts in establishing new schools. She earned plaques for her service from Echo Company — a unit of soldiers from Puerto Rico training in San Antonio — where she led a special program that accelerated their qualifications. For her dedication and impact on educational initiatives, she received multiple plaques in Saudi Arabia between 2014 and 2019 and was named Instructor of the Month by the United States Department of Defense.

Upon returning to the United States following a decade abroad, Ms. Sharma earned a Master of Education in secondary education with a concentration in curriculum, instruction and design from the University of South Florida in 2014. She also holds a bachelor's degree in health care administration from the University of Phoenix, earned in 2004. To augment her knowledge and qualifications, she received an ESL endorsement in 2024, teaching licensure for kindergarten through fifth grade and is certified in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).

Beyond her classroom responsibilities, Ms. Sharma is actively engaged in civic initiatives within her community and throughout Michigan. She volunteers as a tutor for after-school and before-school programs supporting local students since 2024 and has taught night classes for adults, extending educational opportunities to families throughout the district. As a participant in One World at Kalamazoo Public Schools, she organized students carrying full-size flags representing their home countries during an annual celebration that highlights diversity and unity across elementary, middle and high schools.

Ms. Sharma has also contributed professionally as a roundtable presenter at foreign language conferences within school settings, sharing her knowledge and insights with diverse audiences. Reflecting on her remarkable journey thus far, she attributes her professional success to determination and the unwavering motivation provided by her son Noah, whose presence has inspired her perseverance throughout personal and professional challenges.

A devoted family woman and proud mother of one, Ms. Sharma enjoys traveling, hiking, music and attending concerts during her personal time. In the coming years, she aspires to become a multilingual curriculum developer and trainer — motivated by her belief that existing resources often do not meet these learners' needs effectively — and is committed to creating more accessible instructional materials based on her extensive experience as both a learner and educator. Her past achievements and prospective goals alike reflect her desire to continue making a difference in worldwide education while giving her son the best and most rewarding life possible.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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