María Gabriela Portilla Aguirre is the Academic Director of Spanish Alive, with over 30 years of experience teaching Spanish to international professionals, expatriates, and executives.

She specializes in personalized, results-driven instruction, helping students communicate confidently in real-life and business environments. Throughout her career, she has worked with global organizations such as AT&T, Walmart, BP, The Economist, and The New York Times, as well as international embassies.

She has also collaborated on high-profile projects, including coaching cast members of Disney’s The Lion King in Spanish phonetics and pronunciation, and currently works with HYBE Latin America training artists in language and communication.

María Gabriela holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and is an accredited instructor by the Instituto Cervantes. She is also co-author of Español para la Vida Cotidiana, the core learning material used at Spanish Alive.

Her approach combines academic excellence with practical application, ensuring students achieve real, measurable progress.