Sara Vroom Fick

Dr. Sara Vroom Fick joined Wheaton College in 2013, teaching within the Education and TESOL programs. She coordinates undergraduate endorsement programs for English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education, while also serving as Wheaton College liaison for the Illinois Golden Apple Scholar program. Her career spans teaching roles in multicultural and multilingual classrooms in the U.S. and Austria.

• Education:
  • University of Illinois at Chicago: Ph.D. in Literacy, Language, and Culture (2021)
  • Wheaton College: M.A. in Intercultural Studies and TESOL (2012)
  • University of Northwestern-St. Paul: B.A. in ESL Education and Bible (2000)

Dr. Vroom Fick's research focuses on multilingual education, language ideologies, disciplinary literacy, and the intersection of language and identity. Her work examines how cultural contexts shape classroom dynamics and teacher practices in linguistically diverse settings.

Her recent publications emphasize disciplinary literacy, multilingual children’s literature evaluation, linguistically responsive teaching, and cross-cultural pedagogy. These works highlight strategies for fostering critical language awareness, supporting academic language access, and integrating cultural sustainability into educational frameworks.

• Professional Affiliations:
  • International TESOL
  • National Association of Bilingual Education
  • Christian English Language Educators Association
  • Illinois Association of Multilingual Multicultural Education
  • Illinois TESOL-Bilingual Education
  • English Learners Advocacy Council in Higher Education (IL)

Dr. Vroom Fick actively presents at national and international conferences, including the American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference and the International TESOL Convention. Her presentations address topics such as Third Culture Kid language development, biliteracy, cultural sustainability, and teacher practices in multilingual education.

She coordinates the International Student Teaching Program, enabling education majors to intern globally, and advocates for bilingual community engagement in West Chicago, where she resides with her family.