Instructor Bios

Pam Reiss

Pam is proud to be a native New Yorker. She studied art and languages at Queens College and received her Master’s Degree in TESOL from State University at New Paltz and has over 20 years of experience teaching English to students from all over the world.

Pam worked in the public school system for 15 years where she taught English to students in grades Kindergarten through High School. She has been teaching ESL to Adults in the local community College for the last 3 years. She recently started working with Workplace Languages, teaching adults both in person and remotely. She loves helping her students gain confidence speaking English at work and in their daily lives.

Pam is very creative and provides fun and engaging lesson plans. She feels that it is important that students feel comfortable and she excels at creating a stress-free environment where students can learn in a relaxed manner. Her students have stated that she is “kind”, “warm”, and “patient”.

Pam looks forward to meeting new students and wants to help them achieve their English language goals.

Hector Gonzales

A South Texas native, Hector grew up in the border cities of Brownsville, in the US and Matamoros, in Mexico. He attended elementary and middle school in the Mexican side of the border, therefore, his native language is Spanish. Spanish became his first language and his passion. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a Master’s in Latin American Literature, both from The University of Texas System. At the age of 23, he became a college Spanish instructor and ever since he has been enjoying everything pertaining to the Spanish language and culture and shares all his experience with his students.

Héctor enjoys writing songs in Spanish, working out and traveling. His dog Taco is the love of his life and they both currently live between Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.

Elizabeth Kellett

Elizabeth Kellett is a dedicated English educator with over a decade of experience. Throughout her career, she’s worked in various educational settings, including schools, colleges, and businesses, and she has extensive experience tutoring one-on-one. While Elizabeth enjoys working with students of all ages and backgrounds, she especially loves teaching diverse groups and non-native speakers. Elizabeth aims to always create a supportive and enriching learning environment that celebrates and respects different cultures, languages, and perspectives. Student-centered classrooms are very important to her, and she works hard to improve her students’ confidence as well as their overall English skills. She has a Master’s degree in English and lives in Minnesota with her husband and four children. When she’s not teaching, you can find her reading, running, and baking.

Stephanie Estrada

Stephanie holds a master’s degree in Spanish Literature and Culture from Indiana University, Bloomington. She received her B.A. in Spanish from Chapman University. She is also a PhD candidate with ABD status from Indiana University, Bloomington pursuing a PhD in Spanish Literature and Culture. She has 7 years of experience teaching at the university level through a range of Spanish courses from Beginning – Advanced Spanish. She also has 9 years of experience tutoring children, university students, and adults. Stephanie is a Spanish heritage speaker that grew up in Southern California with her Spanish speaking parents from México. Her personal experience with cultural awareness and the importance of learning a language forms part of her teaching philosophy. With 18 years of experience with one of her personal passions, Mexican folk dancing, she incorporates in her teaching cross-cultural awareness and communication skills. Above all else her teaching focuses on bridging communication not only with language but also cultural.

Jay Dan

Jay Daniyarova is an ESL instructor with foreign and domestic teaching experience of nearly thirteen years. She possesses a BA degree in Interpreting-Translating and an MA degree in International Relations. She an accomplished instructor of academic English, TEFL training and an expert in the IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, GRE and GMAT exams. She has a proven record of having helped students successfully pass standardized tests leading to acceptance at their respective universities. Currently, she is an English instructor at University of California Irvine (UCI) and counselor for high school and middle school students. She also developed curriculums for the UCI, Q International School and Huntington Beach City Library. She facilitates learning through crafted methods, encouragement, and guidance with a proven ability to establish meaningful academic collaborations with students. Jay loves hiking long distance on the weekend while listening to her friends or her favorite podcast, Hidden Brain.

Alejandra Mares

“¡Hola! Me llamo Alejandra. I am a Spanish native speaker from Mexico, and I love connecting with people through language and culture. I am passionate about helping people reach their Spanish language goals and supporting their dreams. I look forward to creating meaningful connections and learning together!” Alejandra has over a decade of experience in language instruction in university courses as well as private tutoring. She has taught a wide variety of students ranging from beginners to heritage and advanced speakers. Alejandra received her master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature (English & Spanish) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She studied abroad as well in Spain and Costa Rica. She loves traveling and feels it’s essential to keeping updated with current language trends and enrich her experience with diverse cultures. She believes that connection is essential to learning a language. Her philosophy is to ensure you connect with the language by relating content to your own life and your surroundings. She believes in guiding your learning experience with joy, love, and support.

Alexis Heintz

Language Enthusiast | Educator | Cross-Cultural Communicator

Greetings! I am a passionate language enthusiast and dedicated educator with a flair for connecting with diverse cultures and empowering individuals through language learning. My journey has been one of continuous growth and exploration, embracing the beauty of communication in various tongues. As an advocate of cross-cultural understanding, I have devoted myself to teaching and bridging linguistic gaps worldwide.

I’ve been teaching English as a second or foreign language since 2012. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in the US, China, Brazil, India, Kosovo, Italy and Belarus. Additionally, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching German to Engineers and university students. My students have come from all different walks of life, ranging from absolute beginners to proficient global business executives. I have coached adults for high-stakes performance events such as language examinations or interviews, as well as assisted young learners in basic English communication. I believe in finding a way to add joy to the learning process, even if it is just a few smiles along the way – laughter is an incredible tool to aid in learning.

Driven by my passion for languages and intercultural communication, I thrive on inspiring students to embrace the power of language as a gateway to diverse worlds. As I continue to explore new horizons, my mission remains steadfast – to empower others in their journey of language learning, fostering understanding and unity across borders.

Haniyeh Barahouie

Haniyeh is a highly motivated multilingual instructor with over a decade of experience teaching French to adult learners. Her studies in French and her passion for language and culture has led her on a journey of pedagogical excellence, where she masterfully imparts knowledge and inspires students to embrace the beauty of the French language and the francophone world. She fervently incorporates a myriad of cultural insights, fostering an environment where everyone is welcomed.

Marie A.

“Marie is a French native with a passion for teaching and a diverse background in language instruction. Ten years ago , armed with a License in “Lettres modernes” from Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris), she embarked on her teaching journey where she taught French to students in Middle School.

After relocating to the United States, Marie worked as a teacher in a French immersion private school. Her native fluency in French, coupled with her experiences, nurtured her into a well-rounded and empathetic individual, always considering each student’s unique goals, needs, and interests.

Marie is graduating in 2023, with a Master in Teaching with a specialization in Foreign Language (French) Education.

Throughout her journey, she also dedicated her time as a French tutor for children and adults, honing her skills and fostering her students’ language development. Marie’s commitment to education and her compassion for her students make her an exceptional educator, truly making a positive impact on those she teaches.”

Thiago A. Arellano, MA

Thiago Arellano, a Brazilian native is a trilingual Language Instructor (Spanish, Portuguese and English). Thiago is also fluent in French and has basic comprehension of Italian. He graduated from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2013 where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Letters with an emphasis in Portuguese. In addition, Thiago finished his Master’s degree program in Liberal Arts at San Diego State University (SDSU) in July 2017. Thiago is also ACTFL trained.

Academically speaking, Thiago has participated as a panel presenter during the 40th Annual Conference of the Luso-American Education Foundation (2015) held at SDSU and in The American Portuguese Studies Association (2016) held at Stanford University.

Thiago has a great passion for the universe of languages. He has been teaching languages since he was living in Brazil where he taught English and Spanish to several group ages, privately and at renamed schools. After moving to the United States, Thiago began a new chapter as a Language Instructor of Portuguese, Spanish and English for ESL at Language Door School in San Diego, California. Currently, Thiago Arellano is a Portuguese Professor at Southwestern College and, also, teaches online classes for San Diego State University. Beyond that, Thiago Arellano teaches Portuguese, Spanish and ESL English at Language Door. In addition, Thiago has had the opportunity to enrich his teaching expertise by participating in three summers consecutively in the ProjectGO program at SDSU where he taught at the university level. Currently, Thiago Arellano teaches online classes for San Diego State University.

Thiago Arellano believes education is the best approach to a righteous world and that languages aid individuals in opening up their minds to better understand the diversity of the human race.

Eugenia Charoni

Dr. Charoni holds a double PhD in Romance Languages, (French and Spanish) a MA in French, and an M.Ed. in Foreign Language Teaching Methodology. With a diverse educational background, long teaching experience in various educational settings from K-16 and extensive travel and work abroad, Dr. Charoni is eager to share with her students her passion about other languages, cultures, and literature while she emphasizes the importance of language learning in a globalized world. She has presented papers in national and international conferences, published articles and book chapters, been a reviewer of organizational conference committees and academic journals and led study abroad and study away programs. Her research interests are immigration, displacement, acculturation, political oppression, indigenous groups, educational issues and otherness in the French and Spanish speaking world as well digital humanities and foreign language teaching methodology.