Kelly Comfort, professor in the School of Modern Languages, is the recipient of the 2014 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award.

This year, Georgia Tech gave Comfort the Class of 1940 W. Howard Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognized her extraordinary efforts to inspire students. She also received the CETL Innovation in Co-Curricular Education Award.  

Comfort encourages students to be active inside and outside of the classroom. Much of her coursework involves students with Atlanta’s Latino community. Her Intermediate Spanish and Spanish Conversation courses include interview and documentary projects in the community, while higher level courses require from 30 to 60 hours of work with native Spanish speakers. These projects include volunteer work, professional work, community outreach, roundtable discussions with local Latino leaders, and cultural case studies. These experiences build not only fluent Spanish speakers, but students that are able to critically reflect on their experiences.

Comfort is the faculty director of the International House and faculty advisor of Gringos y Latinos: Atlanta’s Spanish Service Society. Comfort drives her students to become active, critical, and self-reflective. The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is committed to sustaining a legacy of humanitarian vision, social courage, social justice, and civic leadership. Comfort's approach to teaching embodies that commitment. Learn more about Comfort's passion for service learning in the July 2013 feature on our website.